Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $526.29.

A number of research analysts recently commented on MUSA shares. Melius began coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Raymond James lowered Murphy USA from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.3%

MUSA opened at $445.45 on Wednesday. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $422.66 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market cap of $8.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $476.03 and its 200 day moving average is $494.37.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. The business had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.12 earnings per share. Murphy USA’s revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 over the last 90 days. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at $1,207,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at $11,529,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Murphy USA by 69.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $211,135,000 after acquiring an additional 176,308 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 58.6% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,838 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $922,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 46.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 9,890 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,874,000 after acquiring an additional 3,135 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA Inc engages in marketing of retail motor fuel products and convenience merchandise. The company operates retail stores under the Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and QuickChek brands, as well as operates non-fuel convenience stores. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States.