Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) Given Consensus Rating of "Reduce" by Analysts

Key Points

• Murphy Oil Corporation has received a consensus rating of "Reduce" from analysts, with two sell ratings, eleven hold ratings, and one buy rating among the fourteen firms covering the stock.
• The average 12-month price target for Murphy Oil is approximately $29.69, while recent price targets from various brokerages range from $24.00 to $32.00.
• Murphy Oil announced a quarterly dividend of $0.325 per share, reflecting a yield of 5.4% and a payout ratio of 67.36%.

Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Reduce" by the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $29.6923.

Several research analysts recently commented on MUR shares. Roth Capital cut Murphy Oil from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $27.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Barclays boosted their price target on Murphy Oil from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Murphy Oil from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Scotiabank reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $26.00 price target (up previously from $22.00) on shares of Murphy Oil in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Murphy Oil from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th.

Institutional Trading of Murphy Oil

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisory Services Network LLC raised its stake in Murphy Oil by 38.5% during the second quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 47,161 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $1,170,000 after buying an additional 13,114 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in Murphy Oil by 105.8% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 24,008 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $540,000 after buying an additional 12,340 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in Murphy Oil by 12.8% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 23,402 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $527,000 after buying an additional 2,662 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC raised its stake in Murphy Oil by 12.9% during the second quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 24,754 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $557,000 after buying an additional 2,821 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC raised its stake in Murphy Oil by 9.4% during the second quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 27,775 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $625,000 after buying an additional 2,393 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.31% of the company's stock.

Murphy Oil Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of MUR traded up $0.18 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $24.93. 1,395,750 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,286,989. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $24.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $23.90. The company has a market cap of $3.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92 and a beta of 1.15. Murphy Oil has a 1-year low of $18.94 and a 1-year high of $38.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.06. Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 5.25% and a net margin of 10.20%.The company had revenue of $695.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $632.51 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect 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 Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.325 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.2%. Murphy Oil's dividend payout ratio is presently 67.36%.

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.