Syon Capital LLC Acquires 7,565 Shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Syon Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 32.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,769 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,565 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $743,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 12,747 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $341,000 after acquiring an additional 512 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 24.2% in the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,603 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $417,000. Caprock Group LLC raised its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 102.6% in the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 19,120 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $511,000 after acquiring an additional 9,685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank grew its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 44.7% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 105,861 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,832,000 after buying an additional 32,717 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Oil

In related news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.89, for a total value of $1,074,766.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 176,923 shares in the company, valued at $4,757,459.47. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Dane E. Whitehead sold 73,233 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total transaction of $1,981,684.98. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 152,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,113,336.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.89, for a total value of $1,074,766.41. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 176,923 shares in the company, valued at $4,757,459.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 281,332 shares of company stock valued at $7,644,903. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marathon Oil Price Performance

NYSE:MRO traded up $0.03 on Friday, reaching $27.77. 5,872,134 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,710,585. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.43. The firm has a market cap of $15.87 billion, a PE ratio of 10.84 and a beta of 2.22. Marathon Oil Co. has a 12 month low of $21.63 and a 12 month high of $30.06.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.66 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 14.09% and a net margin of 23.20%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.88 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on MRO. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Marathon Oil from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. UBS Group cut their target price on Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Marathon Oil from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their target price on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marathon Oil presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.66.

Marathon Oil Profile

Marathon Oil Corporation, an independent exploration and production company, engages in exploration, production, and marketing of crude oil and condensate, natural gas liquids, and natural gas in the United States and internationally. The company also produces and markets products manufactured from natural gas, such as liquefied natural gas and methanol.