Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Murphy Oil currently has an average analyst rating of “Hold” from 16 covering firms, with 2 sells, 11 holds, and 3 buys. The average 12-month price target is about $38.58.
• The company beat second-quarter expectations, reporting EPS of $0.32 versus the $0.29 consensus and revenue of $732.35 million versus $702.96 million expected. Shares were up 3.9% and recently traded near $36.85.
• Despite the solid quarter, some analysts have turned more cautious, including downgrades from Wall Street Zen and Jefferies, while Zacks lowered multiple future EPS estimates. Institutional ownership remains high at 78.31%.

Shares of Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $38.5833.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Murphy Oil from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Murphy Oil from a "buy" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Johnson Rice raised shares of Murphy Oil from a "hold" rating to an "accumulate" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th.

Murphy Oil Stock Up 3.9%

Shares of NYSE:MUR opened at $36.85 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.46 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The business's 50-day moving average is $36.37 and its 200-day moving average is $35.68. Murphy Oil has a 1 year low of $21.86 and a 1 year high of $43.34.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $732.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $702.96 million. Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 3.09% and a net margin of 3.02%.The firm's revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.56 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Murphy Oil will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Murphy Oil

Here are the key news stories impacting Murphy Oil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Murphy Oil recently beat second-quarter earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $0.32 EPS versus the $0.29 consensus and revenue of $732.35 million versus $702.96 million expected, which supports the stock’s recent upward move.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts still expect Murphy Oil to remain profitable, with consensus current-year earnings at $3.05 per share, even after the latest forecast adjustments.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research lowered Murphy Oil’s EPS estimates for FY2026, Q3 2026, Q4 2026, FY2027, Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, Q2 2028 and FY2028, signaling a softer earnings outlook ahead.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy Oil

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 13,404 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $553,000 after purchasing an additional 2,313 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,836,056 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $75,737,000 after buying an additional 60,190 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems bought a new stake in Murphy Oil in the 1st quarter valued at about $599,000. Bull Harbor Capital LLC bought a new stake in Murphy Oil in the 1st quarter valued at about $244,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Murphy Oil by 32.8% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,352 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 581 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.31% of the company's stock.

Murphy Oil Company Profile

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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