Zacks Research Has Strong Outlook for Murphy Oil Q2 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised Murphy Oil’s Q2 2026 EPS estimate to $0.50 from $0.47, while keeping a Hold rating on the stock.
• Murphy Oil’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, posting $0.32 EPS versus the $0.29 estimate and revenue of $732.35 million, up 9% year over year.
• The stock has a broadly cautious analyst backdrop, with 12 Hold ratings, 2 Buys and 1 Sell, and a consensus price target of $35.73.

Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR - Free Report) - Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for Murphy Oil in a research report issued on Wednesday, May 20th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the oil and gas producer will post earnings per share of $0.50 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.47. Zacks Research 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 Q4 2026 earnings at $0.70 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.42 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.65 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.63 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.82 EPS.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.03. Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 3.09% and a net margin of 3.02%.The company had revenue of $732.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $702.96 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.56 earnings per share. Murphy Oil's revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on MUR. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Friday, March 27th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $36.00 price target on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Murphy Oil from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, March 8th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Murphy Oil from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $35.73.

Murphy Oil Stock Performance

Shares of MUR stock opened at $37.82 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $39.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.30. Murphy Oil has a 12 month low of $20.31 and a 12 month high of $43.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.42 billion, a PE ratio of 64.10 and a beta of 0.55.

Murphy Oil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. Murphy Oil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 237.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Murphy Oil news, SVP Daniel R. Hanchera sold 47,320 shares of Murphy Oil stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.79, for a total value of $1,598,942.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 5.79% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy Oil

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Murphy Oil by 3.4% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,836,056 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $75,737,000 after buying an additional 60,190 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems purchased a new position in shares of Murphy Oil during the 1st quarter valued at $599,000. Bull Harbor Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy Oil during the 1st quarter worth $244,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 32.8% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,352 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares during the period. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in Murphy Oil by 23.9% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 159,349 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $6,573,000 after acquiring an additional 30,732 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.31% of the company's stock.

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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