Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) Given New $55.00 Price Target at Mizuho

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by research analysts at Mizuho from $53.00 to $55.00 in a research note issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the oil and gas producer's stock. Mizuho's price target suggests a potential upside of 18.33% from the stock's previous close.

MUR has been the subject of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Barclays began coverage on Murphy Oil in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $54.00 price objective for the company. KeyCorp reduced their price target on Murphy Oil from $53.00 to $50.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 11th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $45.00 to $43.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Scotiabank cut shares of Murphy Oil from a "sector outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $46.00 to $50.00 in a report on Thursday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $48.38.

Murphy Oil Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of MUR stock traded down $0.56 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $46.48. The stock had a trading volume of 1,230,313 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,879,391. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.09 billion, a PE ratio of 11.13 and a beta of 2.21. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $42.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Murphy Oil has a 52-week low of $32.80 and a 52-week high of $49.14.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $844.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $852.24 million. Murphy Oil had a net margin of 19.12% and a return on equity of 13.02%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Murphy Oil will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Murphy Oil

In other news, VP Maria A. Martinez sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.35, for a total transaction of $433,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 40,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,759,576.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Roger W. Jenkins sold 110,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.39, for a total value of $4,442,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,035,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,811,324.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Maria A. Martinez sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.35, for a total value of $433,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 40,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,759,576.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 156,260 shares of company stock worth $6,322,644 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 5.95% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy Oil

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUR. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy Oil by 3,904.6% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,090,904 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $89,198,000 after purchasing an additional 2,038,692 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Murphy Oil in the 4th quarter valued at $43,711,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Murphy Oil by 327.9% in the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,137,590 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $42,068,000 after purchasing an additional 871,738 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 126.5% during the 2nd quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 1,468,759 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $56,253,000 after purchasing an additional 820,403 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. grew its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 4.4% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 17,444,116 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $704,568,000 after purchasing an additional 729,319 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.31% of the company's stock.

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.