Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Upgraded to Buy by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Friday.

MUSA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Raymond James boosted their target price on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $469.50.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.3 %

NYSE:MUSA traded down $6.47 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $510.90. 114,620 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 212,599. The firm has a market cap of $10.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.44 and a beta of 0.77. Murphy USA has a twelve month low of $307.45 and a twelve month high of $521.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $480.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $434.79.

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

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 16,755 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.54, for a total transaction of $8,621,117.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 396,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $203,955,423.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 854 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 20,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,818,436.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 16,755 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.54, for a total value of $8,621,117.70. Following the sale, the director now owns 396,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $203,955,423.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 41,455 shares of company stock worth $20,492,084. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 784 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 844 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $354,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 643 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $270,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. 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.