Murphy Oil had its Relative Strength (RS) Rating upgraded from 80 to 83 Friday.

When looking for the best stocks to buy and watch, one factor to watch closely is relative price strength.

This proprietary rating tracks market leadership by showing how a stock's price action over the last 52 weeks compares to that of the other stocks in our database.

Decades of market research shows that the stocks that go on to make the biggest gains typically have an 80 or better RS Rating as they begin their biggest climbs.

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Murphy Oil is trying to complete a consolidation with a 26.07 buy point. See if it can break out in volume at least 40% above average.

The company saw both earnings and sales growth rise last quarter. Earnings-per-share increased from 0% to 183%. Revenue rose from -62% to 160%.

The company holds the No. 5 rank among its peers in the Oil & Gas-International Exploration & Production industry group. Murphy Oil and ConocoPhillips are also among the group's highest-rated stocks.