Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Price Target Cut to $32.00 by Analysts at Mizuho

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) had its price target decreased by Mizuho from $34.00 to $32.00 in a research note released on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. Mizuho currently has a neutral rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

MRO has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an equal weight rating and issued a $29.00 price objective (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Friday, May 31st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marathon Oil currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $31.65.

Marathon Oil Trading Up 1.7 %

Marathon Oil stock opened at $27.89 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $27.68 and its 200-day moving average is $27.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.57. Marathon Oil has a 1 year low of $21.81 and a 1 year high of $30.06. The company has a market cap of $15.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 2.16.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.06). Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 22.12%. The business had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.48 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Marathon Oil will post 2.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st were issued a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marathon Oil news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.21, for a total value of $1,033,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 76,828 shares in the company, valued at $2,090,489.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 226.0% during the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 978 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 100.0% during the second quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, Highbridge Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Oil Company 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.