Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) Stock Rating Raised to "Strong-Buy" at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Murphy Oil to “Strong Buy” from “Hold” and raised several medium-term earnings forecasts, including FY2026 EPS to approximately $3.02–$3.05.
• Murphy Oil shares opened at $42.80, near their 12-month high of $45.03, and trade above both their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Institutional investors own 78.31% of the stock.
• Despite revenue rising 33.5% year over year in its latest quarter, Murphy Oil narrowly missed the EPS consensus estimate, while the broader analyst consensus remains “Hold” with an average price target of $39.75.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Zacks reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Murphy Oil's Q3 2026 earnings at $0.40 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.41 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.77 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.75 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.02 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.05 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.59 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.56 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.62 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.64 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.72 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.59 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.68 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.97 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.93 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $0.66 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $0.69 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $0.75 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $0.73 EPS, FY2028 earnings at $2.87 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.97 EPS.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Murphy Oil from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company restated a "positive" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Murphy Oil from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Murphy Oil in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. They set a "sector perform" rating and a $41.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $39.75.

Murphy Oil Price Performance

Murphy Oil stock opened at $42.80 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $38.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.73. Murphy Oil has a 12 month low of $26.49 and a 12 month high of $45.03. The company has a market capitalization of $6.14 billion, a PE ratio of 21.19 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.57 by ($0.02). Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 6.63% and a net margin of 9.74%. The firm had revenue of $926.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $888.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.27 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 33.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Murphy Oil will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Murphy Oil

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy Oil in the second quarter worth $626,514,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Murphy Oil by 105.6% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,310,884 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $136,574,000 after purchasing an additional 1,700,498 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Murphy Oil during the second quarter valued at about $49,681,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Murphy Oil during the second quarter valued at about $45,719,000. Finally, Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy Oil during the second quarter valued at about $19,536,000. 78.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Murphy Oil

Here are the key news stories impacting Murphy Oil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Murphy Oil to Rank #1 (Strong Buy), citing improving earnings prospects. The stock was also added to Zacks’ Strong Buy, value, and income-stock lists, which could increase investor interest. Murphy Oil Upgraded to Strong Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple EPS forecasts, including estimates for Q4 2026 to $0.75 from $0.66, FY2026 to $3.02 from $2.92, FY2027 to $2.59 from $2.44, and FY2028 to $2.87 from $2.50. Several quarterly estimates were also increased, indicating stronger expected profitability over the next several years. Murphy Oil analyst earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The estimate revisions improve Murphy Oil’s earnings outlook, while the company’s recent results showed revenue growth of 33.5% year over year. Its shares are also trading well above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, reflecting favorable recent momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks analysis highlighted value, growth, and momentum factors but questioned whether Murphy Oil has the right combination of indicators for a likely earnings beat in its upcoming report. This creates uncertainty ahead of results. Murphy Oil earnings expected to grow
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed its Q4 2027 EPS estimate to $0.72 from $0.74. In addition, Murphy Oil previously narrowly missed quarterly EPS expectations, which may be contributing to some investor caution despite the broader series of upward revisions. Murphy Oil research coverage

Murphy Oil Company Profile

Murphy Oil Corporation NYSE: MUR is an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company. Its activities include identifying, acquiring, developing and producing crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids, with a focus on high-quality assets in North America.

The company's operations are primarily located in the United States, including onshore assets in the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas and offshore properties in the Gulf of Mexico. Murphy Oil has also historically maintained exploration and production interests in Canada and other international regions, although its current portfolio is concentrated in the United States.

Founded in 1950, Murphy Oil has evolved from a diversified energy company into a focused exploration and production business.

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