World Investment Advisors Increases Holdings in Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR)

World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR - Free Report) by 170.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,562 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 12,324 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors' holdings in Murphy Oil were worth $556,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 342.8% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 828 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 641 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in Murphy Oil during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. GeoWealth Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy Oil during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Murphy Oil during the 1st quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,104 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.31% of the company's stock.

Murphy Oil Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of MUR stock traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $26.49. 1,821,533 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,387,327. The stock has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a PE ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $22.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.37. Murphy Oil Corporation has a 1 year low of $18.95 and a 1 year high of $43.02.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $665.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $684.89 million. Murphy Oil had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 6.81%. Murphy Oil's revenue was down 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.85 EPS. Research analysts predict that Murphy Oil Corporation will post 2.94 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MUR. KeyCorp reiterated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research note on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group dropped their target price on Murphy Oil from $28.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Murphy Oil from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Murphy Oil from $35.00 to $30.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Johnson Rice downgraded Murphy Oil from an "accumulate" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy Oil presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $29.46.

Murphy Oil Company 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.