Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $1.32 EPS

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32, Zacks reports. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 91.05% and a net margin of 2.81%.The firm’s revenue was up 36.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.36 EPS.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE MUSA traded down $8.27 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $581.27. 280,545 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 334,652. The company has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $574.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $508.07. Murphy USA has a 52 week low of $349.83 and a 52 week high of $636.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.64 per share. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on MUSA shares. Weiss Ratings raised Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $619.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $380.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Capital One Financial started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $710.00 target price for the company. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $596.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 517 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $574.49, for a total transaction of $297,011.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $287,245. This trade represents a 50.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 1,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.44, for a total transaction of $555,912.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,632,263.52. This trade represents a 25.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,567 shares of company stock worth $2,494,673. 9.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $200,000. M&G PLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at $179,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA by 22.5% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 457 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 452.4% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 348 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $140,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 42.3% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 175 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company’s primary operations center on two retail formats.