Murphy Oil Corporation $MUR Stock Position Raised by Bayforest Capital Ltd

Key Points

• Bayforest Capital Ltd significantly increased its stake in Murphy Oil Corporation by 4,974.8% in the first quarter, owning a total of 14,514 shares valued at $412,000.
• Murphy Oil's stock declined by 1.4% and has a current market cap of $3.56 billion, with a 52-week range of $18.94 to $36.63.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.325 per share, representing a 5.2% annual yield and a payout ratio of 67.36%.

Bayforest Capital Ltd lifted its position in Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR - Free Report) by 4,974.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,514 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 14,228 shares during the quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd's holdings in Murphy Oil were worth $412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 3,989.7% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,186 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,157 shares in the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil during the first quarter worth approximately $44,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Murphy Oil by 1,710.9% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,666 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 1,574 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in Murphy Oil by 177.8% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,725 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 1,104 shares in the last quarter. 78.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy Oil Stock Up 1.2%

MUR traded up $0.31 on Monday, reaching $26.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 716,893 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,822,896. The stock has a market cap of $3.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 1.15. Murphy Oil Corporation has a 1 year low of $18.94 and a 1 year high of $36.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The business's 50 day moving average is $24.63 and its 200 day moving average is $23.76.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.06. Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 5.25% and a net margin of 10.20%.The firm had revenue of $695.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $632.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. Murphy Oil's revenue for the quarter was down 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Murphy Oil Corporation will post 2.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy Oil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were given a $0.325 dividend. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. Murphy Oil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on MUR shares. UBS Group upped their target price on Murphy Oil from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Barclays upped their target price on Murphy Oil from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Scotiabank restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $26.00 target price (up from $22.00) on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Friday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $24.00 price target on Murphy Oil and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on Murphy Oil from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $29.54.

Murphy Oil Profile

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.