Larson Financial Group LLC Buys 483 Shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,897 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 483 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MRO. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in Marathon Oil in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Founders Capital Management raised its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 77.4% during the 2nd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,066 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.84, for a total transaction of $1,040,950.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 104,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,020,557.40. This trade represents a 25.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total transaction of $1,430,220.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 100,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,750,000. The trade was a 34.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 382,693 shares of company stock valued at $10,964,251. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Saturday, November 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.94.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

Shares of Marathon Oil stock opened at $28.55 on Thursday. Marathon Oil Co. has a fifty-two week low of $21.81 and a fifty-two week high of $30.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.25 and a beta of 2.16. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $27.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.67.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 19.73% and a return on equity of 12.80%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.77 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is currently 18.88%.

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.