Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Melius Research

Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Melius started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $525.67.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $469.68 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.41 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA has a 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $483.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $501.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 186.1% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Murphy USA

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.