Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Grows Stake in Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR - Free Report) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 230,866 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 10,369 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC owned about 0.16% of Murphy Oil worth $6,986,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MUR. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 266.8% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 741 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 90.1% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,758 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 833 shares during the last quarter. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $113,000. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,276 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $144,000 after buying an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $188,000. 78.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy Oil Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUR traded down $2.02 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $24.47. 3,424,589 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,655,782. The company has a market cap of $3.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.10 and a beta of 2.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.83. Murphy Oil Co. has a one year low of $24.27 and a one year high of $49.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $29.36 and a 200 day moving average of $32.15.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.35 earnings per share 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 company posted $0.90 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Murphy Oil Co. will post 2.94 EPS 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 issued a $0.325 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy Oil's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.31%. Murphy Oil's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy Oil

In related news, Director Claiborne P. Deming acquired 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $26.47 per share, with a total value of $1,323,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 931,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,660,801.97. This represents a 5.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Meenambigai Palanivelu acquired 1,573 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $26.70 per share, for a total transaction of $41,999.10. Following the purchase, the vice president now directly owns 37,065 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. 5.92% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MUR has been the topic of several research reports. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Murphy Oil from $39.00 to $35.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and set a $37.00 price target on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Truist Financial lowered Murphy Oil from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $42.00 to $31.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Murphy Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $36.38.

Murphy Oil 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.