Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $48.23.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Murphy Oil from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $45.00 to $43.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Mizuho reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $53.00 target price (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Barclays began coverage on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Wednesday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $54.00 price target for the company. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th.

Murphy Oil Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE MUR opened at $47.04 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $42.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.89. Murphy Oil has a 52-week low of $32.80 and a 52-week high of $49.14. The company has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.15 and a beta of 2.21.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $844.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $852.24 million. Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 13.02% and a net margin of 19.12%. Murphy Oil’s quarterly revenue was down 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Murphy Oil will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy Oil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. Murphy Oil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Louis W. Utsch sold 30,260 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.94, for a total transaction of $1,208,584.40. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $379,589.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, VP Louis W. Utsch sold 30,260 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.94, for a total transaction of $1,208,584.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $379,589.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Roger W. Jenkins sold 110,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.39, for a total value of $4,442,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,035,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,811,324.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 156,260 shares of company stock worth $6,322,644. 5.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUR. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in Murphy Oil during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy Oil in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Murphy Oil by 68.2% in the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its holdings in Murphy Oil by 7,940.0% during the third quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 804 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 794 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Penserra Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy Oil during the third quarter worth about $40,000. 78.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Murphy Oil

Murphy Oil Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an oil and gas exploration and production company in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It explores for and produces crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. The company was formerly known as Murphy Corporation and changed its name to Murphy Oil Corporation in 1964.