Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Receives $526.29 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $526.29.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on MUSA shares. Raymond James Financial downgraded Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Stephens lowered their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE:MUSA traded up $0.11 on Monday, hitting $421.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 154,742 shares, compared to its average volume of 231,051. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.76 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. Murphy USA has a one year low of $385.44 and a one year high of $561.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $424.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $460.44.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.87 by ($1.24). The company had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.79 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.19% and a net margin of 2.46%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.12 EPS. Research analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Murphy USA's payout ratio is 8.44%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director David C. Haley acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 10.12% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the first quarter valued at $241,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at about $40,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 21.1% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $568,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at about $236,000. Finally, CX Institutional acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at about $59,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.