JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Price

Key Points

• JPMorgan cut Murphy USA’s price target from $633 to $626 while maintaining an “overweight” rating, implying approximately 18.3% upside from the stock’s $529.03 price.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with six Buy ratings and five Holds producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $605.33.
• Murphy USA exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $11.27 in earnings per share versus a $9.95 consensus estimate and $6.81 billion in revenue, up 36% year over year.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) had its target price cut by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $633.00 to $626.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the specialty retailer's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target would suggest a potential upside of 18.33% from the stock's current price.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $550.00 to $625.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Murphy USA from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $605.33.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA traded down $7.49 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $529.03. The stock had a trading volume of 19,044 shares, compared to its average volume of 312,081. Murphy USA has a 1 year low of $349.83 and a 1 year high of $636.04. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $529.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $547.73. The stock has a market cap of $9.77 billion, a PE ratio of 16.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32. The business had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 was up 36.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.36 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 34.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,724,000. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 23.2% during the first quarter. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 146,119 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $71,986,000 after acquiring an additional 27,513 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,771,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,358,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter worth approximately $4,062,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Company Profile

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.

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