Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $477.36, but opened at $490.00. Murphy USA shares last traded at $492.8520, with a volume of 67,997 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MUSA has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $467.00 to $445.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Friday, January 9th. They set an “underperform” rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $447.33.

Murphy USA Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $424.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $402.44. The company has a market capitalization of $9.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.40.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.67 by $0.86. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 75.75%. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.96 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 10.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 345 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $404.84, for a total value of $139,669.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 352 shares in the company, valued at $142,503.68. The trade was a 49.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,155 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $395.19, for a total value of $456,444.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $609,778.17. This represents a 42.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,970 shares of company stock valued at $6,212,365. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in Murphy USA by 106.7% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 317.6% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 423.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

About Murphy USA

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.