Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR) Receives $32.23 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.23.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MUR shares. Morgan Stanley set a $27.00 price objective on Murphy Oil and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Murphy Oil from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Scotiabank dropped their price target on Murphy Oil from $36.00 to $22.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Murphy Oil from $28.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research note on Monday, April 21st.

Murphy Oil Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of Murphy Oil stock opened at $21.20 on Thursday. Murphy Oil has a 12-month low of $18.95 and a 12-month high of $46.91. The stock has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.88 and a beta of 1.68. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $24.52 and its 200-day moving average is $28.67.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm posted $0.90 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Murphy Oil will post 2.94 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.325 per share. This represents a $1.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.13%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Murphy Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.33%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy Oil

In other Murphy Oil news, VP Meenambigai Palanivelu acquired 1,573 shares of Murphy Oil stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $989,635.50. This represents a 4.43 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Claiborne P. Deming acquired 50,000 shares of Murphy Oil stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $26.47 per share, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 6.52% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Murphy Oil

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MUR. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in Murphy Oil in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. GeoWealth Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy Oil in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 543 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy Oil in the first quarter valued at about $44,000. 78.31% of the stock is 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.