Jeanne Linder Phillips Sells 1,155 Shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,155 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the director owned 1,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $609,778.17. This represents a 42.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Murphy USA Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE:MUSA opened at $383.98 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $7.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.38. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $345.23 and a one year high of $523.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.80. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $412.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $392.76.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.67 by $0.86. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 75.75% and a net margin of 2.43%.The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.96 EPS. Murphy USA’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd will be paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 10.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on MUSA shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Stephens cut their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America started coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Friday, January 9th. They issued an “underperform” rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Murphy USA from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $457.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 318.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 424,818 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $164,940,000 after acquiring an additional 323,331 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 149.9% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 507,418 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $204,753,000 after purchasing an additional 304,354 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $93,967,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 3,650.7% in the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 180,858 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $73,573,000 after purchasing an additional 176,036 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in Murphy USA by 676.7% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 170,215 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $69,243,000 after purchasing an additional 148,301 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.