Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Down 3.2% – Here’s Why

Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) were down 3.2% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $545.19 and last traded at $549.5490. Approximately 42,760 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 329,742 shares. The stock had previously closed at $567.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MUSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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 “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Capital One Financial initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $710.00 target price on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $380.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.89.

Murphy USA Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $9.83 billion, a PE ratio of 16.20, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.28. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $574.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $522.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $1.32. The business had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.03 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 96.01%. The firm’s revenue was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.36 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 33.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.92%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total transaction of $1,641,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 53,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,464,487.25. This represents a 5.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total value of $552,436.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $256,774.12. This trade represents a 68.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 9.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 106.7% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 82.5% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. 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.