Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR) VP Buys $41,999.10 in Stock

Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) VP Meenambigai Palanivelu bought 1,573 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $26.70 per share, with a total value of $41,999.10. Following the purchase, the vice president now owns 37,065 shares in the company, valued at $989,635.50. The trade was a 4.43 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Murphy Oil Price Performance

MUR stock traded up $1.26 during trading on Monday, reaching $28.08. 1,599,721 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,595,183. The company has a 50-day moving average of $30.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.27. The company has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.43 and a beta of 2.14. Murphy Oil Co. has a twelve month low of $25.26 and a twelve month high of $49.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.62 by ($0.27). Murphy Oil had a net margin of 13.44% and a return on equity of 7.66%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.90 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Murphy Oil Co. will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy Oil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $0.325 dividend. This is a boost from Murphy Oil's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.63%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Murphy Oil's dividend payout ratio is 44.61%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy Oil

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Murphy Oil by 266.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 741 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy Oil during the third quarter worth $27,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy Oil during the third quarter worth $42,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 60.5% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 106.5% in the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,470 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 758 shares in the last quarter. 78.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on MUR shares. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $50.00 to $37.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $35.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial downgraded shares of Murphy Oil from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $42.00 to $31.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $36.33.

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.