Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR) Stock Holdings Lifted by Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc.

Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 26,628 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 3,046 shares during the period. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc.’s holdings in Murphy Oil were worth $806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Murphy Oil Stock Performance

NYSE:MUR opened at $26.71 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $30.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.89 billion, a PE ratio of 9.93 and a beta of 2.14. Murphy Oil Co. has a 12-month low of $25.26 and a 12-month high of $49.14.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last announced its earnings results 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 firm posted $0.90 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Murphy Oil Co. will post 3.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy Oil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.325 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from Murphy Oil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.87%. Murphy Oil’s dividend payout ratio is 44.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays reduced 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. Mizuho decreased their target price on Murphy Oil from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $47.00 to $36.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. 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 report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $37.00 target price on shares of Murphy Oil in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy Oil has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $36.33.

Murphy Oil Profile

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.