Murphy Oil (NYSE: MUR) reported earnings on Oct. 31. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended Sep. 30 (Q3), Murphy Oil met expectations on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue shrank slightly and GAAP earnings per share dropped significantly.

Margins dropped across the board.

Revenue details
 Murphy Oil booked revenue of $7.12 billion. The two analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated net sales of $7.08 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 1.2% lower than the prior-year quarter's $7.21 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
 EPS came in at $1.17. The 12 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $1.20 per share. GAAP EPS of $1.16 for Q3 were 44% lower than the prior-year quarter's $2.09 per share. (The prior-year quarter included $0.36 per share in earnings from discontinued operations.)

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
 For the quarter, gross margin was 13.0%, 30 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.7%, 150 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.2%, 240 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $7.11 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.42.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $28.44 billion. The average EPS estimate is $5.63.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 497 members out of 513 rating the stock outperform, and 16 members rating it underperform. Among 119 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 113 give Murphy Oil a green thumbs-up, and six give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Murphy Oil is hold, with an average price target of $60.64.

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