Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $380.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Capital One Financial initiated 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 on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $619.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $655.00 to $633.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $606.89.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA stock opened at $516.21 on Friday. Murphy USA has a 1 year low of $349.83 and a 1 year high of $636.04. The company has a market cap of $9.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.72, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $541.93 and a 200 day moving average of $543.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 96.01% and a net margin of 2.87%.The business had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.36 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 34.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Eric Bartko sold 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $523.60, for a total value of $52,360.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,947.20. This trade represents a 28.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total value of $552,436.08. Following the sale, the director owned 449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $256,774.12. This represents a 68.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 9.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth $915,734,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter worth $78,372,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth $50,726,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 21,322.2% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 103,041 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $55,526,000 after purchasing an additional 102,560 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at $49,320,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA Inc operates a nationwide network of retail gasoline stations and convenience stores in the United States. Its stores sell branded and unbranded motor fuel, tobacco products, nicotine products, beverages, snacks, packaged food, and other convenience items. Some locations also offer additional services such as lottery products and car washes.

The company operates stores under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express brands, primarily in proximity to Walmart stores and along major roads.