Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) Price Target Lowered to $32.00 at UBS Group

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) had its target price decreased by UBS Group from $34.00 to $32.00 in a research report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on MUR. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Murphy Oil from $44.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Murphy Oil from $39.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $36.33.

Murphy Oil Stock Performance

NYSE:MUR opened at $26.71 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.83. Murphy Oil has a fifty-two week low of $25.26 and a fifty-two week high of $49.14. The company has a market cap of $3.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.93 and a beta of 2.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $30.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.51.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by ($0.27). Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 7.66% and a net margin of 13.44%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Murphy Oil will post 3.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy Oil Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 4.87%. This is an increase from Murphy Oil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Murphy Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Institutional Trading of Murphy Oil

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Murphy Oil by 266.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 741 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil during the third quarter worth $27,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Murphy Oil in the third quarter valued at $42,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy Oil by 106.5% in the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,470 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 758 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Murphy Oil by 90.1% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,758 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 833 shares during the last quarter. 78.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Murphy Oil

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.