Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Director Rosemary Turner Sells 966 Shares of Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total transaction of $552,436.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $256,774.12. This trade represents a 68.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.0%

MUSA opened at $568.51 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $577.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $518.91. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $349.83 and a 12 month high of $636.04. The company has a market cap of $10.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32. The business had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.03 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 96.01%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $7.36 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 33.84 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MUSA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $380.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $619.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Capital One Financial initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Monday, June 22nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $710.00 target price for the company. KeyCorp raised their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $606.89.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 106.7% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 82.5% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 148.5% in the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 82 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.