UBS analyst William Featherston downgraded Murphy Oil to Sell citing the stock's premium valuation relative to peers and the company's declining production and below average inventory. The analyst cut his price target for shares to $41 from $45.

Piper Sandler analyst Mark Lear raised the firm's price target on Murphy Oil to $55 from $49 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares as part of a Q1 preview for the exploration and production group. Energy has been hot, almost too hot, as $90 crude potentially cools the pace of consolidation and investors looking for ways to play the data center and power demand theme turn to gas equities, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm adjusted oil and gas price assumptions, expecting crude pricing to remain strong through Q3 and gas pricing pressure to persist through the balance of fiscal 2024.