KeyCorp Has Positive Forecast for Murphy Oil Q1 Earnings

Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) – Equities researchers at KeyCorp boosted their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Murphy Oil in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, April 1st. KeyCorp analyst T. Rezvan now expects that the oil and gas producer will post earnings per share of $0.47 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.32. KeyCorp has a “Sector Weight” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Murphy Oil’s current full-year earnings is $2.94 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Murphy Oil’s Q2 2026 earnings at $1.50 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.29 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.43 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.69 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.40 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.30 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.12 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.38 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $5.20 EPS.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $613.08 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $650.90 million. Murphy Oil had a net margin of 3.83% and a return on equity of 3.73%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.35 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $29.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Barclays upgraded shares of Murphy Oil from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $33.00 in a report on Friday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Murphy Oil from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy Oil has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.36.

Murphy Oil Stock Up 2.8%

MUR stock traded up $1.15 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $42.83. 816,089 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,722,047. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $6.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.49 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $35.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.00. Murphy Oil has a 1-year low of $18.94 and a 1-year high of $43.34.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC bought a new position in Murphy Oil in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Murphy Oil by 67.3% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,094 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Murphy Oil during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Murphy Oil by 72.9% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,701 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Murphy Oil by 437.8% during the second 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.31% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Daniel R. Hanchera sold 47,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.79, for a total value of $1,598,942.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 36,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,222,049.14. This trade represents a 56.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.52% of the company’s stock.

Murphy Oil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Murphy Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 194.44%.

More Murphy Oil News

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised earnings estimates sharply across multiple quarters and years — including raising FY2026 to $4.69 (from $1.59) and FY2027 to $5.20 (from $2.51) and boosting several quarterly EPS forecasts. These upgrades materially lift forward earnings expectations and likely underlie part of the upward move. (KeyCorp maintained a “Sector Weight” rating.)
• Positive Sentiment: Murphy declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.35 per share (record date May 18, payable June 1), supporting income-focused investors and reinforcing shareholder return visibility. This adds a yield cushion alongside revised earnings outlooks.
• Neutral Sentiment: Other industry news (unrelated company) on refining technology could influence broader sector sentiment but does not directly affect Murphy Oil’s fundamentals. Read More.

About Murphy Oil

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.