Benchmark Reiterates “Buy” Rating for Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO)

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by equities research analysts at Benchmark in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $32.00 price target on the oil and gas producer’s stock. Benchmark’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 16.32% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Barclays assumed coverage on Marathon Oil in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James dropped their target price on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $32.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Argus upgraded Marathon Oil from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.66.

Marathon Oil Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of MRO stock traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $27.51. 1,387,956 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,756,494. Marathon Oil has a 1 year low of $21.63 and a 1 year high of $30.06. The stock has a market cap of $15.72 billion, a PE ratio of 10.77 and a beta of 2.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $26.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.38.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.07. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 14.09% and a net margin of 23.20%. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.88 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Marathon Oil will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Marathon Oil

In other Marathon Oil news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 51,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $1,417,822.51. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 114,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,168,104.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Marathon Oil news, 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 176,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,757,459.47. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 51,389 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $1,417,822.51. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 114,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,168,104.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 281,332 shares of company stock valued at $7,644,903. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Oil

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil during the 4th quarter worth $1,440,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 57.4% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 607,336 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $16,246,000 after purchasing an additional 221,388 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 4,692,600 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $125,527,000 after purchasing an additional 150,440 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Oil during the 4th quarter worth about $3,209,000. Finally, Ardevora Asset Management LLP lifted its stake in Marathon Oil by 20.4% during the 4th quarter. Ardevora Asset Management LLP now owns 449,551 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $10,861,000 after acquiring an additional 76,210 shares in the last quarter. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Marathon Oil

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.