Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. Buys 8,322 Shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. lifted its stake in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 147,307 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 8,322 shares during the quarter. Marathon Oil makes up 1.9% of Deane Retirement Strategies Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Deane Retirement Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $3,559,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 367.9% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,020 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 802 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Marathon Oil by 92.6% during the first quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new position in Marathon Oil in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil in the first quarter valued at $31,000. 77.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

MRO stock traded up $0.54 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $28.25. 3,880,333 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,816,496. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $24.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.09. The firm has a market cap of $16.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 2.21. Marathon Oil Co. has a 1-year low of $21.63 and a 1-year high of $29.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were paid a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 20th. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on MRO. Argus raised Marathon Oil from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Benchmark lifted their price target on Marathon Oil from $25.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $32.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Marathon Oil from $38.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, March 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marathon Oil currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.62.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 176,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,757,459.47. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.94, for a total value of $2,172,630.18. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 596,330 shares in the company, valued at $16,065,130.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 245,238 shares of company stock valued at $6,646,904 in the last 90 days. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.