Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) Given Sector Weight Rating at KeyCorp

KeyCorp reissued their sector weight rating on shares of Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Free Report) in a research report report published on Monday, MarketBeat reports. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Murphy Oil's Q1 2025 earnings at $0.57 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $0.62 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.71 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.74 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $2.64 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.91 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.79 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.73 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.87 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $3.31 EPS.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $27.00 price target on Murphy Oil and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Murphy Oil from $36.00 to $22.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Roth Capital set a $37.00 price target on shares of Murphy Oil in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $32.23.

Murphy Oil Stock Performance

Shares of MUR stock traded up $0.25 on Monday, reaching $20.84. The stock had a trading volume of 2,511,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,080,395. Murphy Oil has a 12 month low of $18.95 and a 12 month high of $46.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.75 and a beta of 1.68. The firm's 50-day moving average is $24.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.96.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.35 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 prior year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Murphy Oil will post 2.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy Oil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.325 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.24%. Murphy Oil's payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Insider Activity at Murphy Oil

In other news, Director Claiborne P. Deming purchased 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $26.47 per share, with a total value of $1,323,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 931,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,660,801.97. This trade represents a 5.67 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Meenambigai Palanivelu acquired 1,573 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $26.70 per share, with a total value of $41,999.10. Following the purchase, the vice president now directly owns 37,065 shares of the company's stock, valued at $989,635.50. This trade represents a 4.43 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 6.52% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Murphy Oil

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 342.8% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 828 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 641 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Murphy Oil in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GeoWealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy Oil during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 60.5% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil in the 1st quarter valued at $44,000. 78.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.