Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Price Target Increased to $530.00 by Analysts at Raymond James

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) had its price target upped by equities researchers at Raymond James from $425.00 to $530.00 in a research report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Raymond James’ price target would indicate a potential upside of 7.03% from the stock’s current price.

Several other brokerages have also commented on MUSA. StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $428.83.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA stock traded up $5.97 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $495.17. The stock had a trading volume of 70,878 shares, compared to its average volume of 211,477. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $456.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $418.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.26 billion, a PE ratio of 20.78 and a beta of 0.77. Murphy USA has a 12 month low of $282.49 and a 12 month high of $503.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The specialty retailer reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.97). The firm had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 64.45%. The firm’s revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.80 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 24.51 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $82,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Murphy USA news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 10,392 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $440.32, for a total value of $4,575,805.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 199,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,871,580.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 have sold a total of 11,451 shares of company stock worth $5,032,498 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 191.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 777.8% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 79 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 141.4% in the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 394.7% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 94 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.