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Is Murphy Oil (MUR) Stock Outpacing Its Oils-Energy Peers This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Oils-Energy stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Murphy Oil (MUR - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Oils-Energy peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Murphy Oil is a member of the Oils-Energy sector. This group includes 253 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #1. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

The Zacks Rank emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Murphy Oil is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MUR's full-year earnings has moved 6.4% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Our latest available data shows that MUR has returned about 44.9% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Oils-Energy companies have returned an average of 25.8%. As we can see, Murphy Oil is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Another stock in the Oils-Energy sector, Nabors Industries (NBR - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 40.6%.

In Nabors Industries' case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 17.6% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Murphy Oil is a member of the Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States industry, which includes 40 individual companies and currently sits at #42 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 42.4% so far this year, so MUR is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Nabors Industries belongs to the Oil and Gas - Drilling industry. This 7-stock industry is currently ranked #13. The industry has moved +24.6% year to date.

Going forward, investors interested in Oils-Energy stocks should continue to pay close attention to Murphy Oil and Nabors Industries as they could maintain their solid performance.


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