Murphy Oil's Q1 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Revenues Miss

Core Viewpoint - Murphy Oil Corporation reported first-quarter 2025 adjusted net earnings of 56 cents per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 48 cents by 16.7%, but down 34.1% from 85 cents in the same quarter last year [1] Revenue Summary - Murphy Oil's revenues for the first quarter of 2025 were $665.7 million, slightly below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $668 million by 0.3% [2] Operational Highlights - The company produced 157,220 barrels of oil equivalent per day (BOE/D) in Q1 2025, a decrease from 169,615 BOE/D in Q1 2024, with 49.9% of the production being oil [3] - The decline in production was attributed to winter storm activity and unplanned downtime in the Gulf of America, falling short of the expected production range of 159,000-167,000 BOE/D [3][4] Cost and Expense Management - Total costs and expenses were $521.8 million, down 18.8% from $642.4 million a year ago, primarily due to lower lease operating expenses and a reduction in selling and general expenses [4] Financial Condition - As of March 31, 2025, the company had cash and cash equivalents of $392.9 million, down from $423.6 million as of December 31, 2024, with total liquidity of $1.5 billion [6] - Long-term debt increased to $1.48 billion from $1.27 billion as of December 31, 2024, while net cash provided by continuing operational activities was $300.7 million, compared to $398.8 million in Q1 2024 [6] Capital Allocation and Share Repurchase - The company repaid nearly 35% of its long-term debt since adopting its capital allocation framework in Q3 2022 and repurchased $100 million worth of stock, equating to 3.6 million shares [5] - As of March 31, 2025, Murphy Oil had $550 million remaining under its share repurchase authorization [5] 2025 Guidance - For Q2 2025, Murphy Oil expects production in the range of 177,000-185,000 BOE/D, with 50% expected to be oil [7] - The company reiterated its 2025 capital expenditures guidance of $1.13-$1.28 billion and anticipates exploration expenses of $17 million for Q2 2025 [7][8]