Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Upgraded at StockNews.com

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

Several other equities analysts have also commented on MUSA. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Melius started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE:MUSA opened at $452.64 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $9.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.70 and a beta of 0.80. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $479.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $499.93. Murphy USA has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08. 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 net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. As a group, research analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 in the last quarter. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at about $64,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.