Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $425.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $428.83.

Murphy USA Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $510.25 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $465.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $424.06. The stock has a market cap of $10.57 billion, a PE ratio of 21.41 and a beta of 0.77. Murphy USA has a 1 year low of $282.49 and a 1 year high of $520.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The specialty retailer reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.97). Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 64.45%. The business had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.80 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 24.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 17th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.34%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.39%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $82,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 854 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $438.75, for a total transaction of $374,692.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,099 shares in the company, valued at $8,818,436.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $82,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,451 shares of company stock valued at $5,032,498 over the last three months. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. LSV Asset Management lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 96,230 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $34,312,000 after buying an additional 8,500 shares during the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1,091.4% in the first quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 14,464 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,063,000 after purchasing an additional 13,250 shares during the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 1st quarter worth about $1,258,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 21.2% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 16,673 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,991,000 after purchasing an additional 2,911 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $8,949,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

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.