Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR) Receives $32.23 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Hold" from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $32.23.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MUR shares. 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 report on Monday, April 7th. Barclays lowered Murphy Oil from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $32.00 to $24.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $27.00 price target on Murphy Oil and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Murphy Oil from $33.00 to $28.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Monday, April 21st.

Murphy Oil Stock Up 0.0 %

Murphy Oil stock traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $21.22. The stock had a trading volume of 2,375,988 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,090,220. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.83. Murphy Oil has a fifty-two week low of $18.95 and a fifty-two week high of $46.52. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $24.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.03 billion, a PE ratio of 7.89 and a beta of 1.68.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by ($0.27). Murphy Oil had a net margin of 13.44% and a return on equity of 7.66%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.90 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy Oil 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, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.325 per share. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Murphy Oil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy Oil

In other news, VP Meenambigai Palanivelu purchased 1,573 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $26.70 per share, with a total value of $41,999.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president now owns 37,065 shares in the company, valued at $989,635.50. This represents a 4.43 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Claiborne P. Deming purchased 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $26.47 per share, for a total transaction of $1,323,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 931,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,660,801.97. This represents a 5.67 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 6.52% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy Oil

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MUR. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 342.8% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 828 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil in the first quarter worth about $26,000. GeoWealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy Oil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its stake in Murphy Oil by 60.5% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy Oil in the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 78.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Murphy Oil

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.