Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director Purchases $435,580.00 in Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) Director David C. Haley purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $435,580. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA traded down $6.61 on Friday, hitting $427.53. 395,572 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 215,152. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $424.03 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The stock has a market cap of $8.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.67 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $473.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $488.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. The business had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.79 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.12 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 8.44%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. GW&K Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the first quarter worth $27,000. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 116.7% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 65 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 1st quarter worth $40,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at about $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MUSA shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target for the company. Raymond James downgraded shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $526.29.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA Inc engages in marketing of retail motor fuel products and convenience merchandise. The company operates retail stores under the Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and QuickChek brands, as well as operates non-fuel convenience stores. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States.