Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) has been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $29.5833.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MUR shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Murphy Oil from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Thursday. Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $28.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Murphy Oil from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th.

Murphy Oil Stock Down 3.3%

Shares of NYSE MUR opened at $30.07 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.76 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.77. Murphy Oil has a 1 year low of $18.94 and a 1 year high of $35.19. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $31.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.49.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.21. Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 3.75% and a net margin of 3.83%.The company had revenue of $613.08 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $650.90 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.35 EPS. Murphy Oil’s revenue was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy Oil will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy Oil Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. This is a boost from Murphy Oil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Murphy Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 180.56%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy Oil

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Murphy Oil by 67.3% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,094 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 440 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy Oil in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 72.9% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,701 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Murphy Oil by 148.1% during the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,273 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,357 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in Murphy Oil by 39.7% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,440 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. 78.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Murphy Oil

Here are the key news stories impacting Murphy Oil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat on EPS: Murphy reported $0.14/share, beating the consensus loss and surprising to the upside — supportive for near-term earnings sentiment. Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike: Murphy raised its quarterly dividend to $0.35 (7.7% increase) implying a ~4.5% yield — raises cash return to shareholders and supports income-oriented buyers.
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $32, reflecting some analyst optimism on valuation/upside. Wells Fargo PT
• Positive Sentiment: Operational upside: Coverage highlighting a successful appraisal well and follow‑on potential could support longer‑term production expectations. Appraisal Well
• Neutral Sentiment: Company disclosures: The full Q4 earnings presentation and transcript are available for investors who want detail on cash flow, capex and guidance; useful for modeling but not a single headline mover. Earnings Transcript Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported net profit: Local coverage notes a $11.9M quarterly profit — confirms profitability but magnitude is modest relative to market cap. Profit Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader industry developments (new offshore deals/discoveries in Morocco and Vietnam) may influence regional exploration sentiment but are not company‑specific catalysts. Morocco Deal Vietnam Discovery
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and market reaction: Q4 revenue came in below estimates, which analysts flagged and which triggered an intra‑day selloff. Revenue Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays downgrade: Barclays cut its rating to “underweight” and lowered its price target to $29, citing downside versus current levels — a clear near‑term headwind for sentiment. Barclays Downgrade TickerReport

Murphy Oil Company Profile

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.