Murphy Oil Corporation MUR is scheduled to release first-quarter 2025 results on May 7, after market close. The company delivered a negative earnings surprise of 37.5% in the last reported quarter. (See the Zacks Earnings Calendar to stay ahead of market-making news.)

Let’s discuss the factors that are likely to be reflected in the upcoming quarterly results.

Key Factors That May Impact MUR’s Q1 Results

Murphy Oil’s quarterly earnings are expected to have benefited from the production ramp-up in its domestic and international assets. The company benefited from new wells that were added in the Gulf of Mexico and Eagle Ford Shale.

Production increases from diversified, low breakeven North American portfolio, have aided Murphy Oil's overall financial performance and free cash flow, enabling it to increase shareholder returns through stock repurchases. This is expected to have boosted the bottom line in the yet-to-be-reported quarter.

Increased capital investments are expected to have further enhanced the company’s offshore operations, since 45% of total investments are targeted toward offshore. 

Murphy Oil's ongoing debt-reduction initiatives are expected to have lowered capital servicing expenses, thus boosting margins in the to-be-reported quarter.

Q1 Expectations for MUR

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at 48 cents per share, indicating a year-over-year decrease of 43.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pinned at $667.76 million, indicating a decrease of 16.2% year over year.

Murphy Oil anticipates quarterly production, excluding NCI, of 159-167 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (MBOEPD). Out of the expected production, 51% is anticipated to be oil. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at 164.83 MBOEPD.

What Our Quantitative Model Predicts

Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Murphy Oil this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is the case here, as you will see below.

Murphy Oil Corporation Price and EPS SurpriseMurphy Oil Corporation Price and EPS Surprise

Murphy Oil Corporation price-eps-surprise | Murphy Oil Corporation Quote

Earnings ESP: The company’s Earnings ESP is +4.90%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: Currently, Murphy Oil has a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Other Stocks to Consider

Investors may also consider the following players from the same sector, as these, too, have the right combination of elements to come up with an earnings beat this reporting cycle.

Energy Transfer ET is expected to come up with an earnings beat when it reports first-quarter results on May 6, after market close. It has an Earnings ESP of +1.54% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present.

ET’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate is 21.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings is pinned at 33 cents per share.

APA Corporation APA is expected to post an earnings beat when it announces first-quarter results on May 7, after market close. It has an Earnings ESP of +4.52% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings is pinned at 83 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales is pegged at $2.21 billion, indicating year-over-year growth of 16.3%.

Occidental Petroleum OXY is likely to come up with an earnings beat when it announces first-quarter results on May 7, after market close. It has an Earnings ESP of +0.56% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings is pinned at 73 cents per share. The company delivered an average earnings surprise of 23.6% in the trailing four quarters.

Story Continues

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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