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

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

MUSA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $510.80.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE:MUSA opened at $478.80 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $509.52 and its 200 day moving average is $507.16. Murphy USA has a 12 month low of $371.30 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The company has a market capitalization of $9.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.75 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 62.73% and a net margin of 2.48%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 23.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 40.4% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 186.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

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.