Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Murphy USA has a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" from nine covering analysts, with an average 1-year price target of about $503.71.
• The company reported strong quarterly earnings, posting $7.28 EPS versus $5.37 expected and revenue of $4.82 billion, which topped estimates and rose 6.5% year over year.
• Murphy USA also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.64 per share from $0.63, while insiders have been selling shares recently and the stock was down 2.3% in Friday trading.

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nine analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $503.7143.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MUSA shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $560.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $510.00 to $517.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th.

Murphy USA Stock Down 2.3%

MUSA opened at $563.14 on Friday. Murphy USA has a twelve month low of $345.23 and a twelve month high of $609.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $505.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $435.95. The company has a market cap of $10.40 billion, a PE ratio of 19.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.36.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.37 by $1.91. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.63 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Murphy USA will post 31.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a $0.64 dividend. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 8.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,155 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $395.19, for a total value of $456,444.45. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $609,778.17. This represents a 42.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 2,844 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $388.61, for a total transaction of $1,105,206.84. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,198,084.63. The trade was a 47.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 46,693 shares of company stock worth $26,832,139 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 317.6% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company's primary operations center on two retail formats.

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