Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $36.33.

MUR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Mizuho dropped their price target on Murphy Oil from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Truist Financial cut Murphy Oil from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $42.00 to $31.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Murphy Oil from $35.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

Murphy Oil Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of MUR stock traded up $0.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $28.75. The stock had a trading volume of 2,501,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,650,278. 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 50-day moving average price is $29.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.19 billion, a PE ratio of 10.69 and a beta of 2.14. Murphy Oil has a 52-week low of $25.26 and a 52-week high of $49.14.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 13.44% and a return on equity of 7.66%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.90 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Murphy Oil will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy Oil Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.52%. This is a boost from Murphy Oil's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Murphy Oil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy Oil

In other news, Director Claiborne P. Deming bought 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $26.47 per share, for a total transaction of $1,323,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 931,651 shares of the company's stock, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Meenambigai Palanivelu acquired 1,573 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $26.70 per share, with a total value of $41,999.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president now directly owns 37,065 shares in the company, valued at approximately $989,635.50. This represents a 4.43 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 5.92% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy Oil

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUR. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in Murphy Oil by 266.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 741 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy Oil in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy Oil during the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its position in Murphy Oil by 106.5% during the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,470 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 758 shares during the period. 78.31% of the stock is currently owned by 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.