Zacks Research Upgrades Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) to Strong-Buy

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Zacks reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Murphy Oil’s Q3 2026 earnings at $0.40 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.41 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.77 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.75 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.02 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.05 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.59 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.56 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.62 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.64 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.72 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.59 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.68 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.97 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $0.93 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $0.66 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $0.69 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $0.75 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $0.73 EPS, FY2028 earnings at $2.87 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.97 EPS.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on MUR. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Murphy Oil from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $36.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $39.75.

Murphy Oil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUR opened at $42.80 on Wednesday. Murphy Oil has a twelve month low of $26.49 and a twelve month high of $45.03. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $38.56 and its 200-day moving average is $36.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.19 and a beta of 0.59.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.57 by ($0.02). Murphy Oil had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 6.63%. The business had revenue of $926.33 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $888.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.27 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 33.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy Oil will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy Oil

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Murphy Oil during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,755,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI bought a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil during the 3rd quarter valued at $375,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy Oil in the third quarter worth about $204,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy Oil in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Murphy Oil during the third quarter valued at $44,000. 78.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy Oil News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Murphy Oil this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Murphy Oil to Rank #1 (Strong Buy), citing improving earnings prospects. The stock was also added to Zacks’ Strong Buy, value, and income-stock lists, which could increase investor interest. Murphy Oil Upgraded to Strong Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple EPS forecasts, including estimates for Q4 2026 to $0.75 from $0.66, FY2026 to $3.02 from $2.92, FY2027 to $2.59 from $2.44, and FY2028 to $2.87 from $2.50. Several quarterly estimates were also increased, indicating stronger expected profitability over the next several years. Murphy Oil analyst earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The estimate revisions improve Murphy Oil’s earnings outlook, while the company’s recent results showed revenue growth of 33.5% year over year. Its shares are also trading well above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, reflecting favorable recent momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks analysis highlighted value, growth, and momentum factors but questioned whether Murphy Oil has the right combination of indicators for a likely earnings beat in its upcoming report. This creates uncertainty ahead of results. Murphy Oil earnings expected to grow
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed its Q4 2027 EPS estimate to $0.72 from $0.74. In addition, Murphy Oil previously narrowly missed quarterly EPS expectations, which may be contributing to some investor caution despite the broader series of upward revisions. Murphy Oil research coverage

Murphy Oil Company Profile

Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) is an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company. Its activities include identifying, acquiring, developing and producing crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids, with a focus on high-quality assets in North America.

The company’s operations are primarily located in the United States, including onshore assets in the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas and offshore properties in the Gulf of Mexico. Murphy Oil has also historically maintained exploration and production interests in Canada and other international regions, although its current portfolio is concentrated in the United States.

Founded in 1950, Murphy Oil has evolved from a diversified energy company into a focused exploration and production business.