Murphy USA (MUSA) to Release Earnings on Wednesday

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) is set to issue its quarterly earnings data after the market closes on Wednesday, July 31st. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $6.71 per share for the quarter. Parties interested in participating in the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The specialty retailer reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.97). Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 64.45%. The company had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.80 EPS. Murphy USA’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect Murphy USA to post $25 EPS for the current fiscal year and $27 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA opened at $502.18 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $468.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $426.52. Murphy USA has a 1 year low of $282.49 and a 1 year high of $520.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.41 billion, a PE ratio of 21.07 and a beta of 0.77.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 20th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 17th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 7.39%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 854 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $438.75, for a total value of $374,692.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 20,099 shares in the company, valued at $8,818,436.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 10,392 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $440.32, for a total value of $4,575,805.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 199,563 shares in the company, valued at $87,871,580.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 854 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $438.75, for a total value 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,451 shares of company stock worth $5,032,498. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MUSA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. StockNews.com upgraded Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price target on Murphy USA from $425.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $428.83.

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.