Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Price

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) had its price target upped by Wells Fargo & Company from $520.00 to $570.00 in a research note released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $510.00 to $517.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $550.00 to $625.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 price target for the company. 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $585.11.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $623.30 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.30. Murphy USA has a 52-week low of $345.23 and a 52-week high of $636.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.83. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $563.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $493.70.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.37 by $1.91. The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.63 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 32.58 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.64 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 517 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $574.49, for a total transaction of $297,011.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $287,245. This trade represents a 50.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 158 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.50, for a total value of $94,879.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 476 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $285,838. The trade was a 24.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 46,225 shares of company stock worth $27,363,392. Company insiders own 9.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 82.5% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

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.