Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and thirteen have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $29.0833.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho increased their price target on Murphy Oil from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $27.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Murphy Oil from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 13th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 6th.

Murphy Oil Stock Down 5.1%

Shares of MUR stock opened at $30.84 on Tuesday. Murphy Oil has a 52-week low of $18.94 and a 52-week high of $34.52. The stock has a market cap of $4.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.47 and a beta of 0.78. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $30.73 and its 200-day moving average is $27.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 21st. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $440.08 million for the quarter. Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 4.30% and a net margin of 5.16%. Sell-side analysts predict that Murphy Oil will post 2.94 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Murphy Oil

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUR. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy Oil in the 2nd quarter valued at $367,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Murphy Oil by 10.1% in the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 124,614 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,804,000 after buying an additional 11,470 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Murphy Oil by 7.0% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 4,766,534 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $107,247,000 after acquiring an additional 312,904 shares during the last quarter. Paragon Capital Management Ltd acquired a new position in Murphy Oil during the second quarter worth about $204,000. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy Oil in the second quarter worth about $257,000. 78.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.