Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR) Stock Position Decreased by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC reduced its stake in Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR) by 15.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 206,943 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 36,692 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.14% of Murphy Oil worth $6,982,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Murphy Oil by 21.2% during the 2nd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 218,739 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $9,021,000 after buying an additional 38,334 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 24.2% during the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 166,316 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $6,859,000 after acquiring an additional 32,411 shares during the period. Prospector Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 50.5% during the third quarter. Prospector Partners LLC now owns 307,092 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $10,361,000 after acquiring an additional 103,092 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil in the 1st quarter worth about $1,700,000. Finally, AXA S.A. lifted its position in Murphy Oil by 86.5% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 132,710 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $5,473,000 after purchasing an additional 61,537 shares during the last quarter. 78.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy Oil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUR opened at $30.56 on Tuesday. Murphy Oil Co. has a one year low of $29.84 and a one year high of $49.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $33.00 and a 200-day moving average of $36.61. The company has a market capitalization of $4.46 billion, a PE ratio of 9.86 and a beta of 2.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.71.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last announced its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $758.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $759.74 million. Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 9.22% and a net margin of 14.78%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.59 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Murphy Oil Co. will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy Oil Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Murphy Oil’s payout ratio is 38.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MUR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Murphy Oil from $47.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. KeyCorp lowered their target price on Murphy Oil from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Murphy Oil from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Murphy Oil from $39.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy Oil currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.58.

Murphy Oil Company 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.