Brokerages Set Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Target Price at $539.00

Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Buy" from the eight brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and three have 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 $539.00.

MUSA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Melius assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price for the company.

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of MUSA traded up $5.46 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $511.92. The stock had a trading volume of 17,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 248,074. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market cap of $10.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.15 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $468.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $492.85. Murphy USA has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. On average, analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 8.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 over the last quarter. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 347 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $174,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,444 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,230,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 8,938 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,485,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 967 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $485,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by 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.