Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Sells 12,890 Shares of Murphy Oil Corporation $MUR

Key Points

• Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. has reduced its stake in Murphy Oil Corporation by selling 12,890 shares, now holding approximately 1.3 million shares worth $29.8 million.
• Recent analyst ratings for Murphy Oil include upgrades and downgrades, with average price targets ranging from $24 to $29, and a current consensus rating leaning towards "Reduce."
• Murphy Oil is set to pay a $0.325 quarterly dividend on December 1st, representing a 4.3% yield based on an annualized dividend of $1.30.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lowered its position in Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,325,112 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 12,890 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned about 0.93% of Murphy Oil worth $29,815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MUR. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 21.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,881 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $238,000 after acquiring an additional 1,379 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 6,900.8% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 88,210 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $2,505,000 after acquiring an additional 86,950 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 1.7% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 480,516 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $13,647,000 after acquiring an additional 7,837 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil in the first quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Impact Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil in the first quarter worth $372,000. Institutional investors own 78.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on MUR shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Murphy Oil from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Mizuho cut their price target on Murphy Oil from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 15th. Zacks Research lowered Murphy Oil from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $26.00 price target (up previously from $22.00) on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Saturday, September 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $28.67.

Murphy Oil Stock Performance

NYSE MUR opened at $30.48 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.79 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $25.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.10. Murphy Oil Corporation has a twelve month low of $18.94 and a twelve month high of $36.62.

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

Murphy Oil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $0.325 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. Murphy Oil's dividend payout ratio is 67.36%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MUR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.