Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) Sets New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $25.04 and last traded at $24.99, with a volume of 1244604 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $26.49.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Murphy Oil from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Roth Capital set a $37.00 price objective on Murphy Oil in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group dropped their target price on Murphy Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "underweight" rating and set a $37.00 price objective on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy Oil currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $36.31.

Murphy Oil Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.44 and a beta of 2.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $29.00 and a 200-day moving average of $31.86.

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Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 return on equity of 7.66% and a net margin of 13.44%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.90 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Murphy Oil Co. will post 2.94 EPS for the current year.

Murphy Oil Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.325 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from Murphy Oil's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.12%. Murphy Oil's payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Meenambigai Palanivelu bought 1,573 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $26.70 per share, for a total transaction of $41,999.10. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Claiborne P. Deming purchased 50,000 shares of Murphy Oil stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $26.47 per share, for a total transaction of $1,323,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 931,651 shares in the company, valued at $24,660,801.97. The trade was a 5.67 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 5.92% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy Oil

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Murphy Oil during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,217,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Murphy Oil by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,857,702 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $56,214,000 after purchasing an additional 13,263 shares during the last quarter. Prospector Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 50.5% in the 3rd quarter. Prospector Partners LLC now owns 307,092 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $10,361,000 after buying an additional 103,092 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 605,557 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $20,431,000 after buying an additional 76,487 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 26.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 67,246 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $2,268,000 after buying an additional 14,181 shares in the last quarter. 78.31% of the stock is 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.