Brokerages Set Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) Target Price at $36.82

by · The Cerbat Gem

Shares of Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR – Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $36.8182.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MUR. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Murphy Oil from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Murphy Oil from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $36.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Murphy Oil

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Daniel R. Hanchera sold 47,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.79, for a total value of $1,598,942.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 36,166 shares in the company, valued at $1,222,049.14. This trade represents a 56.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 5.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy Oil

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in Murphy Oil by 255.3% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 508,012 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $14,433,000 after purchasing an additional 365,011 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Murphy Oil by 21.8% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,736,815 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $106,163,000 after purchasing an additional 668,525 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in Murphy Oil in the third quarter valued at about $451,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Murphy Oil by 32.0% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 122,420 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $3,826,000 after buying an additional 29,689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CSM Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Murphy Oil by 26.5% in the third quarter. CSM Advisors LLC now owns 233,510 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $6,634,000 after buying an additional 48,856 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.31% of the company’s stock.

Murphy Oil Price Performance

Shares of MUR opened at $37.96 on Friday. Murphy Oil has a fifty-two week low of $20.87 and a fifty-two week high of $43.34. The company has a market capitalization of $5.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.34 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $39.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.03. Murphy Oil had a net margin of 3.02% and a return on equity of 3.09%. The business had revenue of $732.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $702.96 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.56 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Murphy Oil will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy Oil Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. Murphy Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 237.29%.

Murphy Oil Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Murphy Oil Corporation is an independent upstream oil and gas company engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The company’s operations encompass conventional onshore and offshore reservoirs, with an emphasis on liquids-rich properties and deepwater assets. Through a combination of proprietary technologies and strategic joint ventures, Murphy Oil seeks to optimize recovery rates and manage its portfolio to balance long-term resource development with operational flexibility.

Murphy Oil’s exploration and production activities are geographically diversified.

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