Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 99,642 Shares of Murphy Oil Corporation $MUR

Key Points

• Vanguard trimmed its stake in Murphy Oil by 0.7%, selling 99,642 shares and now holds 14,435,419 shares (about 10.11% of the company) worth roughly $451.1 million.
• Murphy Oil declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share (annualized $1.40, a 3.4% yield) with an ex-dividend date of May 18 and a payment date of June 1, despite a high payout ratio of 194.44%.
• Insider activity: SVP Daniel R. Hanchera sold 47,320 shares at an average price of $33.79, cutting his direct ownership by 56.68%; institutional investors own about 78.31% of the stock.

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR - Free Report) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,435,419 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 99,642 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 10.11% of Murphy Oil worth $451,107,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 1.7% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 84,061 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $2,387,000 after purchasing an additional 1,419 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in Murphy Oil in the 1st quarter worth $265,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in Murphy Oil by 22.6% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 249,094 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $7,074,000 after acquiring an additional 45,841 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 9.8% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 31,471 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $708,000 after acquiring an additional 2,819 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 437.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,802 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 3,095 shares in the last quarter. 78.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy Oil Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of MUR stock opened at $41.71 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.93 and a beta of 0.55. Murphy Oil Corporation has a 12-month low of $20.20 and a 12-month high of $43.34. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $37.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.39.

Murphy Oil Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. Murphy Oil's dividend payout ratio is currently 194.44%.

Insider Activity at Murphy Oil

In related news, SVP Daniel R. Hanchera sold 47,320 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.79, for a total value of $1,598,942.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 36,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,222,049.14. This trade represents a 56.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 5.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on MUR shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Murphy Oil from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Piper Sandler raised Murphy Oil from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $33.00 to $41.00 in a report on Thursday, March 12th. KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Murphy Oil from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Murphy Oil from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.27.

Murphy Oil Company Profile

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.

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