Insider Selling: Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) SVP Sells 47,320 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: SVP Daniel Hanchera sold 47,320 shares at an average price of $33.79 on March 11, totaling about $1.60M and reducing his stake by 56.7% to 36,166 shares.
• Dividend hike: Murphy raised its quarterly dividend to $0.35 from $0.33 (annualized $1.40), implying a ~4.0% yield, though the payout ratio is elevated at ~194%.
• Market and analyst view: Shares traded up to $34.72 on heavy volume; the company has a ~$4.96B market cap and a 48.2 PE, while analysts' consensus is "Reduce" with a $30.83 target.

Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) SVP Daniel Hanchera sold 47,320 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.79, for a total transaction of $1,598,942.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 36,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,222,049.14. The trade was a 56.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Murphy Oil Stock Up 2.1%

NYSE:MUR traded up $0.72 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $34.72. 4,840,968 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,583,143. The company has a market cap of $4.96 billion, a PE ratio of 48.22 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Murphy Oil Corporation has a one year low of $18.94 and a one year high of $36.08. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $32.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.23.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $650.90 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.35 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Murphy Oil Corporation will post 2.94 EPS for the current year.

Murphy Oil Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This is a boost from Murphy Oil's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. Murphy Oil's dividend payout ratio is 194.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on MUR. UBS Group boosted their target price on Murphy Oil from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays lowered their price target on Murphy Oil from $31.00 to $29.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $28.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $30.83.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy Oil

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MUR. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in Murphy Oil by 255.3% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 508,012 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $14,433,000 after purchasing an additional 365,011 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 60.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 2,119,622 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $60,218,000 after purchasing an additional 794,510 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil during the 3rd quarter valued at about $920,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 4,766,534 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $107,247,000 after purchasing an additional 312,904 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,736,815 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $106,163,000 after purchasing an additional 668,525 shares during the period. 78.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Murphy Oil

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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