Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR)

Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 101,800 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 800 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. owned 0.07% of Murphy Oil worth $3,080,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its position in Murphy Oil by 60.5% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 543 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 32.9% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,284 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares during the period. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy Oil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $113,000. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund purchased a new position in Murphy Oil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $188,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in Murphy Oil by 67.5% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,337 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $192,000 after buying an additional 2,553 shares in the last quarter. 78.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MUR. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays cut their price objective on Murphy Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Roth Capital set a $37.00 target price on Murphy Oil in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $37.00 target price on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Murphy Oil from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.31.

Insider Transactions at Murphy Oil

In other Murphy Oil news, VP Meenambigai Palanivelu purchased 1,573 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $26.70 per share, with a total value of $41,999.10. Following the acquisition, the vice president now owns 37,065 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $989,635.50. This represents a 4.43 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Claiborne P. Deming acquired 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $26.47 per share, for a total transaction of $1,323,500.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 931,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,660,801.97. This trade represents a 5.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 5.92% of the company’s stock.

Murphy Oil Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:MUR opened at $26.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.90 billion, a PE ratio of 9.93 and a beta of 2.18. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Murphy Oil Co. has a 12-month low of $22.90 and a 12-month high of $49.14.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the company posted $0.90 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Murphy Oil Co. will post 2.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy Oil Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.325 per share. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from Murphy Oil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Murphy Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.33%.

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.