Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the ten brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $447.3333.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MUSA shares. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $467.00 to $445.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Stephens reduced their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, KeyCorp set a $500.00 target price on Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, February 5th.

Murphy USA Stock Up 2.1%

NYSE MUSA opened at $505.75 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $424.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $402.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47. The firm has a market cap of $9.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.40. Murphy USA has a 52 week low of $345.23 and a 52 week high of $523.09.

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

Murphy USA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 137 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $422.44, for a total transaction of $57,874.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 345 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.84, for a total transaction of $139,669.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 352 shares in the company, valued at $142,503.68. This trade represents a 49.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 14,970 shares of company stock valued at $6,212,365. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position 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 buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 423.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 317.6% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in 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.