Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Down 7.5% – Here’s Why

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) shares were down 7.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $482.41 and last traded at $486.60. Approximately 100,752 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 349,700 shares. The stock had previously closed at $525.85.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Monday, December 29th. Stephens dropped their price objective on Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Murphy USA from $467.00 to $445.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $447.33.

Murphy USA Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $434.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $408.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.23.

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

Murphy USA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 10.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 899 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.53, for a total value of $343,894.47. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 137 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $422.44, for a total value of $57,874.28. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 10,919 shares of company stock valued at $4,490,690. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 106.7% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 317.6% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Company Profile

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.