Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) CFO Donald Smith, Jr. Sells 1,460 Shares of Company Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) CFO Donald Smith, Jr. sold 1,460 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $515.65, for a total value of $752,849.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 21,227 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,945,702.55. This represents a 6.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $510.50 on Wednesday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $352.42 and a 12 month high of $636.04. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $522.63 and its 200-day moving average is $515.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. The company has a market capitalization of $9.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.31, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.31.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The specialty retailer reported $9.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.37 by $1.22. The company had revenue of $6.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 92.81% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 34.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.25 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 35.24 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 4th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 7.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $612.00 to $621.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter valued at $915,734,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth $78,372,000. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 23.2% in the 1st quarter. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 146,119 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $71,986,000 after purchasing an additional 27,513 shares in the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 21,322.2% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 103,041 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $55,526,000 after purchasing an additional 102,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth about $54,143,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA Inc is a U.S. operator of retail fuel and convenience stores. The company sells gasoline and diesel fuel along with tobacco products, packaged beverages, snacks, candy, grocery items, general merchandise and other convenience products. Many locations also offer prepared food and related services.

The company operates stores under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express brands, with a network concentrated primarily in the Southern, Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Murphy USA locations are commonly situated near Walmart stores, while Murphy Express sites generally operate as standalone convenience stores.