Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Upgraded at Melius Research

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) was upgraded by Melius Research to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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. StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE:MUSA opened at $469.68 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $483.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $501.48. Murphy USA has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The stock has a market cap of $9.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.41 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm’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 value of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 90 days, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 8,385 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,133,000 after acquiring an additional 1,526 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $1,207,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $11,529,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Murphy USA by 69.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $211,135,000 after buying an additional 176,308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 622.9% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 4,048 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,995,000 after buying an additional 3,488 shares during the last quarter. 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.