Geode Capital Management LLC Reduces Position in Murphy Oil Corporation $MUR

Geode Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,355,127 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 177,261 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.35% of Murphy Oil worth $104,870,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 43.3% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 15,296 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $478,000 after buying an additional 4,620 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,877 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy Oil in the fourth quarter worth about $380,000. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 245.4% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,677 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $146,000 after purchasing an additional 3,323 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 17,376 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $543,000 after purchasing an additional 1,621 shares during the last quarter. 78.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Murphy Oil

In related news, SVP Daniel R. Hanchera sold 47,320 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.79, for a total transaction of $1,598,942.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 36,166 shares in the company, valued at $1,222,049.14. The trade was a 56.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 5.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy Oil Trading Down 3.3%

NYSE MUR opened at $38.64 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a PE ratio of 65.49 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a fifty day moving average of $39.13 and a 200 day moving average of $34.96. Murphy Oil Corporation has a 1 year low of $21.86 and a 1 year high of $43.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $732.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $702.96 million. Murphy Oil had a net margin of 3.02% and a return on equity of 3.09%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.56 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Murphy Oil Corporation will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy Oil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. Murphy Oil’s payout ratio is currently 237.29%.

Murphy Oil News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple earnings forecasts for Murphy Oil, including FY2026, FY2027, and several quarterly periods, suggesting analysts see improving profitability ahead. Article: Why Murphy Oil (MUR) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Murphy Oil’s post-earnings momentum remains constructive, with one report noting the stock has gained since its last earnings release and questioning whether that strength can continue. Article: Murphy Oil (MUR) Up 4.4% Since Last Earnings Report: Can It Continue?
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha highlighted that Wall Street is increasingly catching on to Murphy Oil’s story, which may be supporting investor interest in the name. Article: Murphy Oil: Wall Street Catches On
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary is split: Zacks Research and KeyCorp both kept neutral-to-bullish ratings overall, but they made mixed changes to future EPS estimates, signaling uncertainty about the pace of earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp trimmed its Q2 and Q3 2027 EPS estimates for Murphy Oil, which may be tempering enthusiasm despite its Overweight rating and $48 price target.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MUR shares. Zacks Research upgraded Murphy Oil from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Murphy Oil from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Piper Sandler upgraded Murphy Oil from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $33.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.75.

Murphy Oil 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.