Pacer Advisors Inc. Has $23.20 Million Holdings in Murphy Oil Corporation $MUR

Pacer Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) by 38.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 816,488 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 506,871 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Murphy Oil were worth $23,196,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Murphy Oil by 148.1% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,273 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,357 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Murphy Oil by 39.7% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,440 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Murphy Oil by 494.0% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,786 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 2,317 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy Oil by 437.8% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,802 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $86,000 after buying an additional 3,095 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in Murphy Oil in the 2nd quarter valued at $100,000. 78.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Murphy Oil Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of MUR opened at $31.16 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $30.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.80 and a beta of 0.81. Murphy Oil Corporation has a 12-month low of $18.94 and a 12-month high of $34.52.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 21st. The oil and gas producer reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $440.08 million during the quarter. Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 4.30% and a net margin of 5.16%. As a group, research analysts predict that Murphy Oil Corporation will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy Oil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a dividend of $0.325 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. Murphy Oil’s payout ratio is currently 132.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MUR. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research report on Monday. Mizuho raised their target price on Murphy Oil from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Murphy Oil from $28.00 to $27.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Murphy Oil from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $29.08.

Murphy Oil Profile

Murphy Oil Corporation is an independent upstream oil and gas company engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The company’s operations encompass conventional onshore and offshore reservoirs, with an emphasis on liquids-rich properties and deepwater assets. Through a combination of proprietary technologies and strategic joint ventures, Murphy Oil seeks to optimize recovery rates and manage its portfolio to balance long-term resource development with operational flexibility.

Murphy Oil’s exploration and production activities are geographically diversified.