James W. Keyes Sells 2,000 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director James W. Keyes sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $511.54, for a total transaction of $1,023,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 16,114 shares in the company, valued at $8,242,955.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Murphy USA Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $519.63 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $10.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.81 and a beta of 0.77. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $309.18 and a 1 year high of $522.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $495.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $449.29.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The specialty retailer reported $6.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.91 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.69 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.73% and a net margin of 2.50%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.02 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 24.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 26th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on MUSA. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 17th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price target on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $469.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 777.8% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 79 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in Murphy USA by 141.4% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 394.7% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 94 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Delta Asset Management LLC TN grew its stake in Murphy USA by 70.7% during the fourth quarter. Delta Asset Management LLC TN now owns 128 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.