Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Now Rated “Hold” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $606.11.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $550.00 to $625.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Capital One Financial assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Monday, June 22nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $710.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research downgraded Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Bank of America raised their target price on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, 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.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.0%

Murphy USA stock opened at $547.64 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.92. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $349.83 and a fifty-two week high of $636.04. The company has a market cap of $10.11 billion, a PE ratio of 16.68, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.29. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $529.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $546.85.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $1.32. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 96.01% and a net margin of 2.87%. The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.36 earnings per share. Murphy USA’s revenue for the quarter was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 34.75 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th were given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 7.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total value of $552,436.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 449 shares in the company, valued at $256,774.12. The trade was a 68.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $523.60, for a total transaction of $52,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,947.20. This represents a 28.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 9.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Sankala Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

About Murphy USA

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.