Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock: Insider Robert Madison Murphy Sells 1,000 Shares

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director Robert Murphy sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $624.34, for a total value of $624,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 39,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,585,884.86. The trade was a 2.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Murphy USA Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $515.12 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.44, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.31. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $352.42 and a 52-week high of $636.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $521.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $516.21.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The specialty retailer reported $9.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.37 by $1.22. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 92.81% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $6.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.25 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 34.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 35.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 4th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 8.07%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Jacobi Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at $32,000. CX Institutional acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the second quarter worth about $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth about $48,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Murphy USA from $633.00 to $626.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Weiss Ratings raised Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Bank of America upped their target price on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $612.00 to $621.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $606.33.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA Inc is a U.S. operator of retail fuel and convenience stores. The company sells gasoline and diesel fuel along with tobacco products, packaged beverages, snacks, candy, grocery items, general merchandise and other convenience products. Many locations also offer prepared food and related services.

The company operates stores under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express brands, with a network concentrated primarily in the Southern, Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Murphy USA locations are commonly situated near Walmart stores, while Murphy Express sites generally operate as standalone convenience stores.