Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) Raised to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Murphy Oil from "sell" to "hold," but the analyst consensus remains negative — MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of "Reduce" with an average target price of $29.83 and several firms (including Barclays) cutting targets and keeping underweight or sell views.
• Murphy Oil reported a quarterly EPS beat of $0.14 vs. a consensus of ($0.07), while revenue of $613.1 million missed estimates of $650.9 million and was down 6.9% year‑over‑year.
• The stock opened at $34.67 with a market cap of $4.95 billion, a P/E of 48.15, a 52‑week range of $18.94–$36.08, and roughly 78% institutional ownership.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on MUR. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Murphy Oil from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Monday, December 29th. KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $31.00 to $29.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $29.83.

Murphy Oil Stock Performance

Shares of Murphy Oil stock opened at $34.67 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.15 and a beta of 0.72. The stock's 50-day moving average is $32.33 and its 200-day moving average is $30.01. Murphy Oil has a one year low of $18.94 and a one year high of $36.08. 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 (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.21. Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 3.73% and a net margin of 3.83%.The business had revenue of $613.08 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $650.90 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.35 earnings per share. Murphy Oil's quarterly revenue was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Murphy Oil will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Murphy Oil

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUR. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy Oil in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 67.3% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,094 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 72.9% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,701 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Murphy Oil by 39.7% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,440 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares during the last quarter. 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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