Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) Given Sector Weight Rating at KeyCorp

KeyCorp reissued their sector weight rating on shares of Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Free Report) in a report published on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Murphy Oil's Q1 2025 earnings at $0.57 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $0.62 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.71 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.74 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $2.64 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.91 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.79 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.73 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.87 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $3.31 EPS.

MUR has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Murphy Oil and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Truist Financial downgraded Murphy Oil from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $42.00 to $31.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Murphy Oil from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $36.00 to $22.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy Oil presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $32.23.

Murphy Oil Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE:MUR traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $21.08. The company had a trading volume of 1,937,997 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,082,695. Murphy Oil has a 12-month low of $18.95 and a 12-month high of $46.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.84 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $24.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.86.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by ($0.27). Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 7.66% and a net margin of 13.44%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy Oil will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy Oil Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.325 per share. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Murphy Oil's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Claiborne P. Deming acquired 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $26.47 per share, with a total value of $1,323,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 931,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,660,801.97. This represents a 5.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Meenambigai Palanivelu bought 1,573 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was bought 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 of the company's stock, valued at $989,635.50. This represents a 4.43 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 6.52% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy Oil

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in Murphy Oil by 342.8% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 828 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Murphy Oil in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. GeoWealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Murphy Oil during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in Murphy Oil by 60.5% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 543 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil in the first quarter valued at about $44,000. 78.31% of the stock is 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.