Jeanne Linder Phillips Sells 1,155 Shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,155 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $395.19, for a total value of $456,444.45. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $609,778.17. This represents a 42.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Murphy USA Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE:MUSA traded down $3.98 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $387.55. 176,388 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 343,091. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $345.23 and a 52 week high of $523.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.96, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $413.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $392.74.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.67 by $0.86. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 75.75% and a net margin of 2.43%.The business had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on MUSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $467.00 to $445.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. KeyCorp set a $500.00 price target on Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Stephens decreased their price objective on Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Friday, January 9th. They issued an “underperform” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $457.50.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Enhancing Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Enhancing Capital LLC now owns 1,132 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $457,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. raised its position in Murphy USA by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,752 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $707,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 4.8% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 585 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 82.4% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1.9% in the third quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,470 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $571,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company’s primary operations center on two retail formats.