Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Price Down 4% – What’s Next?

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)’s stock price was down 4% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $450.00 and last traded at $454.41. Approximately 84,719 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 351,407 shares. The stock had previously closed at $473.17.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on MUSA shares. Bank of America started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, January 9th. They issued an “underperform” rating for the company. KeyCorp set a $500.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Murphy USA from $467.00 to $445.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $429.00.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $420.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $399.29. The company has a market cap of $8.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.80.

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

Murphy USA Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, CEO Malynda K. West sold 4,051 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.00, for a total value of $1,721,675.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 117,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,890,325. The trade was a 3.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 899 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.53, for a total value of $343,894.47. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 14,970 shares of company stock worth $6,212,365. Company insiders own 10.12% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 106.7% during 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. bought a new position in Murphy USA during the third quarter worth $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 423.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 317.6% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.