Quest Partners LLC Has $3.67 Million Stake in Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR)

Quest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR) by 276.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 108,677 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 79,791 shares during the quarter. Murphy Oil accounts for about 0.3% of Quest Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Murphy Oil were worth $3,667,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 14.5% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,441 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Murphy Oil by 16.2% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,140 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $129,000 after buying an additional 438 shares during the period. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 6,574 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $222,000 after buying an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. grew its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 1,015.7% during the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 569 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 518 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 49,437 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,039,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. 78.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy Oil Stock Down 2.5 %

MUR stock opened at $32.50 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $33.74 and its 200-day moving average is $37.90. Murphy Oil Co. has a twelve month low of $30.99 and a twelve month high of $49.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.74 billion, a PE ratio of 10.48 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $758.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $759.74 million. Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 9.22% and a net margin of 14.78%. Murphy Oil’s revenue was down 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.59 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Murphy Oil Co. will post 3.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy Oil Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Murphy Oil’s payout ratio is 38.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MUR. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $44.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Murphy Oil from $43.00 to $39.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Murphy Oil from $44.00 to $43.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Murphy Oil from $47.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on 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. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.08.

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.