Shares of Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $36.33.

A number of research firms have issued reports on MUR. Barclays lowered their price target on Murphy Oil from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Mizuho decreased their target price on Murphy Oil from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $39.00 to $35.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $35.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

Read Our Latest Analysis on MUR

In related news, Director Claiborne P. Deming purchased 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $26.47 per share, with a total value of $1,323,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 931,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,660,801.97. The trade was a 5.67 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Meenambigai Palanivelu acquired 1,573 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $26.70 per share, with a total value of $41,999.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president now owns 37,065 shares in the company, valued at $989,635.50. This represents a 4.43 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 5.95% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently 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 acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Murphy Oil in the third quarter worth $27,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Murphy Oil during the third quarter valued at $42,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 60.5% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares during the period. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 106.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,470 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 758 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.31% of the company's stock.

Shares of MUR stock opened at $26.82 on Friday. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $30.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $33.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Murphy Oil has a 1-year low of $25.26 and a 1-year high of $49.14. The firm has a market cap of $3.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.97 and a beta of 2.14.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 quarter last year, the business posted $0.90 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Murphy Oil will post 3.33 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.325 per share. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.85%. This is a positive change from Murphy Oil's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Murphy Oil's payout ratio is presently 44.61%.

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.

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