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

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $525.67.

A number of research firms have recently commented on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th.

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.3 %

MUSA opened at $447.00 on Tuesday. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $382.04 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The company’s 50-day moving average is $473.68 and its 200 day moving average is $496.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.47 and a beta of 0.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. Research analysts expect that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,476.19. This represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 over the last three months. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Murphy USA by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,539 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,284,000 after buying an additional 755 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 19,060 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $9,563,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $220,000. Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 74,910 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $37,586,000 after purchasing an additional 4,390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 29.1% in the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 4,508 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,262,000 after purchasing an additional 1,015 shares during the period. 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.