KeyCorp Has Lowered Expectations for Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Price

Key Points

• KeyCorp has reduced its target price for Murphy USA from $480.00 to $460.00, maintaining an "overweight" rating, indicating a potential upside of 22.81% based on current prices.
• Several other financial analysts have downgraded their ratings on Murphy USA, with Jefferies Financial Group setting a target price of $350.00 and Zacks Research labeling the stock as a "strong sell."
• Murphy USA's latest earnings report indicated a year-over-year revenue decline of 8.2%, despite EPS surpassing analyst estimates, reflecting challenges in the current market environment.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by KeyCorp from $480.00 to $460.00 in a report released on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the specialty retailer's stock. KeyCorp's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 22.81% from the company's current price.

MUSA has been the subject of several other reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Zacks Research cut Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $405.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $474.00.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA stock opened at $374.57 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20. Murphy USA has a 12 month low of $345.23 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The firm has a market cap of $7.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.51 and a beta of 0.42. The company's 50-day moving average price is $383.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $419.28.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.54. The company had revenue of $5.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.17 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 64.63%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.92 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Robert Madison Murphy purchased 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $367.01 per share, with a total value of $1,835,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 389,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at $142,830,015.72. The trade was a 1.30% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total value of $717,982.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 117,389 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,337,979.58. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. GW&K Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 1,925.0% in the 2nd quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 81 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

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.

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