Victory Capital Management Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Murphy Oil Corporation $MUR

Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,030,794 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 18,717 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Murphy Oil were worth $57,695,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Murphy Oil by 67.3% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,094 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 437.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,802 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 3,095 shares during the last quarter. MAI Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 11.9% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 5,723 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $129,000 after purchasing an additional 608 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio lifted its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 11.1% during the third quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 5,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $142,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. 78.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy Oil Stock Up 1.2%

Murphy Oil stock opened at $34.67 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $32.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $29.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Murphy Oil Corporation has a twelve month low of $18.94 and a twelve month high of $36.08. The company has a market capitalization of $4.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.15 and a beta of 0.72.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.21. Murphy Oil had a net margin of 3.83% and a return on equity of 3.73%. The company had revenue of $613.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $650.90 million. During the same quarter 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, equities analysts predict that Murphy Oil Corporation will post 2.94 EPS for the current year.

Murphy Oil Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This is a boost from Murphy Oil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Murphy Oil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 194.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $31.00 to $29.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Scotiabank reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy Oil from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Murphy Oil from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $29.83.

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.