Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock: Insider Donald Smith Jr Sells 1,460 Shares

Key Points

• CFO Donald Smith Jr. sold 1,460 Murphy USA shares for about $752,849 at an average price of $515.65, reducing his direct ownership by 6.44% to 21,227 shares.
• Murphy USA reported quarterly EPS of $9.59, topping the $8.37 analyst consensus, while revenue of $6.89 billion also exceeded estimates and rose 34.8% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend from $0.65 to $0.72 per share, equivalent to an annualized dividend of $2.88 and a 0.6% yield.

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) CFO Donald Smith, Jr. sold 1,460 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $515.65, for a total transaction of $752,849.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 21,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,945,702.55. This represents a 6.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA stock traded down $2.50 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $510.50. 361,310 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 314,869. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $352.42 and a 1-year high of $636.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.43 billion, a PE ratio of 14.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.29. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $523.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $515.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The specialty retailer reported $9.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.37 by $1.22. The company had revenue of $6.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.25 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 96.37% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 34.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.25 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 34.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 4th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.07%.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the second quarter worth $915,734,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter valued at $78,372,000. 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 purchasing an additional 27,513 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 21,322.2% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 103,041 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $55,526,000 after purchasing an additional 102,560 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth $54,143,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on MUSA shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Murphy USA from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $612.00 to $621.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $633.00 to $626.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $606.33.

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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