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4 Reasons to Add Murphy Oil (MUR) Stock to Your Portfolio

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Estimates for Murphy Oil Corporation (MUR - Free Report) have been revised upward over the past 60 days, raising analysts’ optimism on the stock. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 and 2019 earnings per share have moved 37.7% and 57.7% north to $1.68 and $1.94, respectively.

El Dorado, AR-based Murphy Oil is a global oil and gas exploration and production company. The company explores and produces crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) worldwide.

Let’s focus on the factors that make Murphy Oil a profitable bet.

Price Appreciation: Shares of the company have surged 31.2% in the past 12 months compared with the Zacks Oil & Gas E&P Industry’s rally of 20.3%. Murphy Oil has proved reserves of 698 million barrels of oil equivalents at 2017 end. The stock sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).



Positive Earnings Surprise History: Murphy Oil boasts an impressive earnings surprise history. The bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all the trailing four quarters, the average beat being 102.45%. The consecutive estimate beats indicate the company’s operational excellence.

VGM Score: Murphy Oil carries an impressive VGM Score of A. Here V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum with the score being a weighted combination of all three factors. Back-tested results show that stocks with a favorable VGM Score of A or B coupled with a bullish Zacks Rank offer the best investment bets.

Capex & Stable Asset Base: The company is pursuing steady E&P and development activities in the United States and other international locations. It expects to spend nearly $1,110 million in 2018, up from $975.7 million in 2017. For 2018, the company has allocated $670 million to its onshore assets, $270 million to offshore and another $130 million to exploration.

Murphy Oil flaunts one of the best upstream portfolios in the arena of domestic oil and natural gas integrated companies as well as independent E&P group.

Murphy Oil stands firm on a strong financial position. Its Tupper Montney asset in Canada comprises a net reserve of 14 trillion cubic feet of gas and is a leading low-cost operating asset of the company in North America. The company expects to bring five wells online in the upcoming quarter. The ongoing development in North American onshore and offshore assets is likely to boost production.

Other Stocks to Consider

A few other top-ranked stocks from the same sector are ConocoPhillips (COP - Free Report) , Whiting Petroleum Corporation and Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY - Free Report) , each with a Zacks Rank of 1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

ConocoPhillips pulled off a blockbuster average positive earnings surprise of 226.9%, beating the consensus estimate in all in the last four quarters. The company’s earnings are expected to grow 9% over the long-term period. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 EPS moved up 19.2% in the last 60 days to $4.29 per share.

Whiting Petroleum delivered an average earnings surprise of 100.1%, surpassing the consensus mark in all the trailing four quarters. The company’s bottom line might rise 8% over the long-term period. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 EPS moved up 27.4% in the last 60 days to $2.93 per share.

Occidental Petroleum came up with an average beat of 30.2%, outpacing estimates in all the preceding four quarters. The company’s earnings are anticipated to gain 6.3% over the long-term period. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 EPS moved up 28.2% in the last 60 days to $4.86 per share.

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