Earnings Preview: Murphy Oil EPS, Revenue Expected to Rise from Previous Quarter

Murphy Oil MUR unveils its next round of earnings this Wednesday, July 27, 2011. Here is Benzinga's everything-that-matters guide for this Wednesday's second quarter earnings announcement.

Earnings and Revenue:

Analysts are looking ahead to a positive EPS of $1.67 per share and revenues of $8.12 billion. Whether the reported numbers beat or miss analysts' estimates, they will also be compared against last year's numbers for the same period, which were a profit of $1.41 per share on revenues of $5.59 billion. Can Murphy Oil manage the estimated 18.4% rise in EPS and 45.3% increase in revenues from the year-ago quarter as analysts are predicting? We'll have to wait until Wednesday to find out.

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

Quarter	Q1	Q4	Q3	Q2
EPS Estimate	$1.00	$0.97	$1.10	$1.21
EPS Actual	$1.38	$0.90	$1.05	$1.41

Stock Performance:

Shares of Murphy Oil were trading at $68.19 as of July 21, 2011. Since January 1st, shares of Murphy Oil have declined 7.8%.

Average Stock Rating:

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

Competitors:

Wondering how Murphy Oil compares to rivals in the same sector? Here are a few of the company's peers.

• ConocoPhillips COP: Hold with a $1.82 recent quarter EPS
• Chevron CVX: Moderate Buy with a $3.09 recent quarter EPS
• Hess HES: Moderate Buy with a $1.82 recent quarter EPS
• Marathon Oil MRO: Hold with a $1.65 recent quarter EPS

The integrated oil-US company's industry has seen price/earnings growth of 0.9% during the current fiscal year.

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

Take Action:

Now that you have reviewed all the numbers, be ready to move if the upcoming Murphy Oil earnings report has any surprises. Also, come back to Benzinga after the announcement for a full recap and a guide to your next steps.

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