Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) Rating Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Friday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on MUR. Barclays assumed coverage on Murphy Oil in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $54.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho increased their price objective on Murphy Oil from $55.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Murphy Oil from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $49.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.00.

Murphy Oil Price Performance

MUR opened at $39.67 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $44.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $42.28. Murphy Oil has a twelve month low of $36.34 and a twelve month high of $49.14.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $794.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $750.94 million. Murphy Oil had a net margin of 16.40% and a return on equity of 11.75%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.24 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Murphy Oil will post 4.27 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Murphy Oil

In other Murphy Oil news, VP Maria A. Martinez sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.35, for a total value of $433,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 40,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,759,576.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 5.92% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy Oil

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy Oil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy Oil in the first quarter worth $30,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its stake in Murphy Oil by 47.7% in the first quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 721 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Headinvest LLC bought a new position in Murphy Oil in the third quarter worth $70,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its position in Murphy Oil by 27.0% during the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 2,105 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 447 shares during the period. 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.