Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Has $63.06 Million Stock Holdings in Murphy Oil Corporation $MUR

Key Points

• Vaughan Nelson trimmed its Murphy Oil stake by 4.8% in Q4, selling 101,630 shares and now holds 2,017,992 shares worth $63.06 million (about 1.41% of the company).
• SVP Daniel R. Hanchera sold 47,320 shares for roughly $1.60 million; insiders own 6.52% of Murphy Oil while institutional and hedge funds own 78.31% of the stock.
• Murphy Oil raised its quarterly dividend to $0.35 (a 3.3% yield) despite a high payout ratio (194%), reported a Q4 EPS beat ($0.14 vs. -$0.07) with revenue down 6.9% YoY, and trades at a market cap of about $5.97 billion (P/E ~58).

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. trimmed its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR - Free Report) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,017,992 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 101,630 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned 1.41% of Murphy Oil worth $63,062,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Impact Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Impact Capital Partners LLC now owns 15,143 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $473,000 after buying an additional 420 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in Murphy Oil by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 13,893 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Murphy Oil by 67.3% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,094 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 42,414 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,325,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio grew its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 11.1% during the third quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 5,000 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $142,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. 78.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy Oil Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Murphy Oil stock opened at $41.81 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $5.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.06 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Murphy Oil Corporation has a 12-month low of $18.94 and a 12-month high of $42.91. The business's 50 day moving average is $34.05 and its 200-day moving average is $31.50.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.21. Murphy Oil had a net margin of 3.83% and a return on equity of 3.73%. The business had revenue of $613.08 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $650.90 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.35 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Murphy Oil Corporation will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy Oil Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a boost from Murphy Oil's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. Murphy Oil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 194.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MUR shares. Barclays raised Murphy Oil from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $29.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Friday, March 13th. KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $29.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Friday. Finally, Scotiabank raised shares of Murphy Oil to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $32.36.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Daniel R. Hanchera sold 47,320 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 36,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,222,049.14. This trade represents a 56.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.52% of the company's stock.

Murphy Oil 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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