Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the sixteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $37.50.

Several research firms have issued reports on MUR. Barclays downgraded Murphy Oil from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $38.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Murphy Oil from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group cut their target price on Murphy Oil from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Mizuho raised Murphy Oil to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Murphy Oil from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 29th.

Murphy Oil Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of MUR opened at $34.63 on Wednesday. Murphy Oil has a fifty-two week low of $21.86 and a fifty-two week high of $43.34. The business has a 50-day moving average of $35.80 and a 200 day moving average of $36.39. The firm has a market cap of $4.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.14 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by ($0.02). Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 6.63% and a net margin of 9.74%.The business had revenue of $926.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $888.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.27 EPS. Murphy Oil’s revenue for the quarter was up 33.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Murphy Oil will post 2.98 EPS for the current year.

Murphy Oil Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Murphy Oil’s dividend payout ratio is 69.31%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC grew its position in Murphy Oil by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC now owns 550,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $17,188,000 after acquiring an additional 50,000 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Murphy Oil during the first quarter valued at about $1,745,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its stake in Murphy Oil by 138.2% during the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 34,936 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,090,000 after purchasing an additional 20,271 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 24.8% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 942,927 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $38,896,000 after purchasing an additional 187,610 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flax Pond Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy Oil during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,967,000. 78.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Murphy Oil

Murphy Oil Corporation is an independent upstream oil and gas company engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The company’s operations encompass conventional onshore and offshore reservoirs, with an emphasis on liquids-rich properties and deepwater assets. Through a combination of proprietary technologies and strategic joint ventures, Murphy Oil seeks to optimize recovery rates and manage its portfolio to balance long-term resource development with operational flexibility.

Murphy Oil’s exploration and production activities are geographically diversified.