Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Director Robert Madison Murphy Sells 1,000 Shares of Company Stock

Key Points

• Director Robert Murphy sold 1,000 Murphy USA shares for $588,930, reducing his direct holdings by 2.42% to 40,379 shares.
• In its latest reported quarter, Murphy USA beat earnings and revenue estimates, posting EPS of $9.59 and revenue of $6.89 billion; revenue rose 34.8% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend from $0.65 to $0.72 per share. Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $606.33.

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) Director Robert Murphy sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $588.93, for a total transaction of $588,930.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 40,379 shares in the company, valued at $23,780,404.47. The trade was a 2.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded down $7.13 on Wednesday, hitting $502.21. 365,274 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 315,107. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $352.42 and a 12-month high of $636.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. The company has a market cap of $9.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.31. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $522.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $515.59.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The specialty retailer reported $9.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.37 by $1.22. The company had revenue of $6.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 92.81%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 34.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.25 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 35.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 4th. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MUSA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Murphy USA from $633.00 to $626.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Murphy USA from $612.00 to $621.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CX Institutional bought a new position in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 82.5% in 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. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

About Murphy USA

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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