Marathon Oil (MRO) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know

In the latest trading session, Marathon Oil (MRO) closed at $18.30, marking a +1.1% move from the previous day. This change outpaced the S&P 500's 0.28% gain on the day. At the same time, the Dow added 0.29%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.16%.

Coming into today, shares of the energy company had gained 13.13% in the past month. In that same time, the Oils-Energy sector gained 9%, while the S&P 500 lost 5.39%.

Marathon Oil will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release, which is expected to be February 16, 2022. On that day, Marathon Oil is projected to report earnings of $0.55 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 558.33%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $1.6 billion, up 93.32% from the year-ago period.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Marathon Oil should also be noted by investors. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 3.48% lower. Marathon Oil is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Investors should also note Marathon Oil's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 8.28. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 12.17, which means Marathon Oil is trading at a discount to the group.

We can also see that MRO currently has a PEG ratio of 0.37. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Oil and Gas - Integrated - United States was holding an average PEG ratio of 0.51 at yesterday's closing price.

The Oil and Gas - Integrated - United States industry is part of the Oils-Energy sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 168, putting it in the bottom 35% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow MRO in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
 
Marathon Oil Corporation (MRO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
 
Zacks Investment Research