Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is neutral: Murphy USA has a consensus “Hold” rating from 11 analysts, with six holds and five buys. The average 12-month price target is approximately $606.89.
• Recent results exceeded expectations: The company reported quarterly EPS of $11.27 versus the $9.95 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 36% year over year to $6.81 billion.
• Murphy USA raised its dividend: The quarterly payout increased to $0.65 per share, or $2.60 annually, representing a 0.5% yield and a 7.92% payout ratio.

Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Hold" from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $606.8889.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $550.00 to $625.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $619.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Murphy USA from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Murphy USA from $655.00 to $633.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Murphy USA from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $380.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $526.65 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $562.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $537.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $9.73 billion, a PE ratio of 16.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.25. Murphy USA has a one year low of $349.83 and a one year high of $636.04.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations of $6.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.36 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 36.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 34.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 24th were paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 7.92%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 100 shares of Murphy USA 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 252 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $131,947.20. The trade was a 28.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 $256,774.12. The trade was a 68.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 9.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at about $915,734,000. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 506,214 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $204,267,000 after buying an additional 7,973 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 149,064 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $73,633,000 after buying an additional 4,836 shares during the period. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 23.2% in the 1st 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. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 30.6% in the 4th quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 132,826 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $53,598,000 after acquiring an additional 31,118 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA Inc NYSE: MUSA operates a network of retail fuel stations and convenience stores in the United States. Its locations primarily serve motorists and local communities, offering gasoline and diesel fuel along with convenience merchandise.

The company's stores sell products such as tobacco, nicotine products, beverages, snacks, packaged food, and other general merchandise. Many locations also provide prepared food and other convenience services, with product offerings designed to complement the company's fuel business.

Murphy USA was established as an independent publicly traded company in 2013 following its separation from Murphy Oil Corporation.

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