Research Analysts Issue Forecasts for Murphy Oil Q1 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research“Hold”, signalling improved profit expectations without a buy recommendation.
• Shares trade around $40.73 near their 52-week high (range: $20.20–$43.34) with a high valuation (P/E ≈ 56.6); the company announced a $0.35 quarterly dividend (annualized 3.4% yield) but a payout ratio of 194%, raising coverage/sustainability concerns.
• Analyst activity is mixed—Piper Sandler upgraded to overweight and several firms raised price targets—yet the MarketBeat consensus remains a Hold with an average price target of $33.27, while institutional ownership is high (~78%) and an SVP recently sold shares.

Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Murphy Oil in a note issued to investors on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the oil and gas producer will post earnings per share of $0.27 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of ($0.25). Zacks Research currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Murphy Oil's current full-year earnings is $3.38 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Murphy Oil's Q2 2026 earnings at $0.47 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.90 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.67 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.30 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.67 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.59 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.89 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.57 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.72 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.71 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.75 EPS.

MUR has been the subject of several other reports. Piper Sandler raised shares of Murphy Oil from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $33.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Friday, March 27th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Murphy Oil from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays upgraded Murphy Oil from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $29.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.27.

Murphy Oil Price Performance

Shares of Murphy Oil stock opened at $40.73 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.77. Murphy Oil has a 52-week low of $20.20 and a 52-week high of $43.34. The company has a fifty day moving average of $37.56 and a 200-day moving average of $33.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.57 and a beta of 0.55.

Murphy Oil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. Murphy Oil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 194.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy Oil

In other news, SVP Daniel R. Hanchera sold 47,320 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.79, for a total transaction of $1,598,942.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 36,166 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,222,049.14. The trade was a 56.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 5.79% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SIR Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,896,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its stake in Murphy Oil by 60.0% in the third quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 2,119,622 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $60,218,000 after buying an additional 794,510 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in Murphy Oil in the third quarter worth about $21,096,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Murphy Oil by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,736,815 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $106,163,000 after acquiring an additional 668,525 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Murphy Oil by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,056,427 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $58,423,000 after acquiring an additional 514,127 shares in the last quarter. 78.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Murphy Oil News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research sharply lifted forward earnings estimates for multiple quarters and fiscal years (examples: Q1 2026 from -$0.25 to $0.27; FY2026 from $0.05 to $2.30; FY2028 from $1.21 to $2.75), signaling the analyst team now expects stronger profitability ahead. MarketBeat: MUR coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the estimate increases, Zacks retained a "Hold" rating — indicating the upgrades are not being framed as a clear buy signal and may limit immediate positive investor reaction. MarketBeat: MUR coverage
• Negative Sentiment: The stock is down likely because the analyst changes were already anticipated or are viewed as model adjustments rather than new operational catalysts. Contributing negatives: last reported quarter showed a revenue miss and year-over-year revenue decline, the shares trade at a high PE (~56.6) relative to recent fundamentals, and intraday volume is below average — all factors that can trigger profit-taking or cautious positioning. MarketBeat: MUR coverage

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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