Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research 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.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on MUR. Jefferies Financial Group set a $35.00 price target on shares of Murphy Oil and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Murphy Oil from $36.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Seaport Research Partners began coverage on Murphy Oil in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. One research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $39.75.

Murphy Oil Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUR opened at $42.80 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.14 billion, a PE ratio of 21.19 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The business has a 50-day moving average of $38.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.73. Murphy Oil has a 12 month low of $26.49 and a 12 month high of $45.03.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy Oil

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

Key Headlines Impacting Murphy Oil

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

About Murphy Oil

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.