Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR) Receives Average Rating of "Reduce" from Analysts

Shares of Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the fifteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have assigned a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $29.31.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MUR. KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Monday, April 21st. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $36.00 to $22.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Johnson Rice downgraded shares of Murphy Oil from an "accumulate" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $28.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $27.00 price objective on Murphy Oil and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th.

Murphy Oil Price Performance

Shares of MUR stock traded down $0.65 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $20.97. The company had a trading volume of 2,777,730 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,204,454. Murphy Oil has a 12-month low of $18.95 and a 12-month high of $43.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company has a market capitalization of $2.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.79 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $23.18 and a 200-day moving average of $27.49.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.08. Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 7.66% and a net margin of 13.44%. The company had revenue of $665.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $684.89 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.85 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Murphy Oil will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy Oil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $0.325 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.20%. Murphy Oil's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy Oil

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in Murphy Oil by 342.8% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 828 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Murphy Oil in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 3,989.7% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,186 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,157 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy Oil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy Oil by 60.5% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. 78.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.