Earnings Preview: Murphy Oil's EPS, Revenue Expected to Rise

Murphy Oil MUR announces its next round of earnings this Wednesday, November 2, 2011. Get prepared with Benzinga's ultimate preview for Murphy Oil's third quarter earnings.

Earnings and Revenue:

Wall Street expects an EPS of $1.13/share and revenues of $7.53 billion. Murphy Oil's latest numbers will no doubt be compared with the company's year-ago quarter, when it reported a profit of $1.05/share on revenues of $6.06 billion. We'll have to wait for Wednesday to see if the company has accomplished the estimated 7.6% rise in EPS and 24.3% increase in revenues on a year-over-year basis.

Here's how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Quarter	Q2	Q1	Q4	Q3
EPS Estimate	$1.66	$1.00	$0.97	$1.10
EPS Actual	$1.60	$1.38	$0.90	$1.05

Stock Performance:

At last check, shares of Murphy Oil were trading at $58.67. Shares are down 20.2% year to date. For a full 12 months, the return has declined by 28.1%. Given that these returns are generally negative, long-term shareholders are probably a little upset going into this earnings release.

• Long-term shareholders are already wary of 12-month losses prior to the announcement

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts is a Hold. Over the past three months this rating's strength has declined slightly.

Competitors:

Want to check out the performance of Murphy Oil closest competitors? Take a look at some of the company's peers in the energy sector.

• ConocoPhillips COP: Hold with a $2.52 recent quarter EPS
• Chevron CVX: Moderate Buy with a $3.85 recent quarter EPS
• Hess HES: Moderate Buy with a $1.11 recent quarter EPS
• BP p.l.c (BP): Moderate Buy with a $1.69 recent quarter EPS

The integrated oil-US company's industry has seen price/earnings growth of 1.2% during the current fiscal year.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Murphy Oil is an oil and gas exploration and production company with refining and marketing operations in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

Take Action:

There is your peek into Murphy Oil's upcoming earnings numbers, including some competitors to watch around the time of the announcement. Check back in with us after the announcement for a full recap. In the meantime, here are some links to explore today.

• To see up-to-date news on Murphy Oil, click here
• To see other trading ideas, click here
• To see other company earnings recaps, click here