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

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

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MUSA. Stephens decreased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Raymond James cut shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com downgraded Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Melius began coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GW&K Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the first quarter worth about $27,000. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 116.7% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 65 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the first quarter worth $40,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the first quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $50,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Murphy USA stock traded down $9.37 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $439.11. 45,081 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 205,578. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $476.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $494.37. Murphy USA has a 12 month low of $422.66 and a 12 month high of $561.08. 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 $8.69 billion, a PE ratio of 18.14 and a beta of 0.59.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. The company had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.12 EPS. Murphy USA's revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 8.44%.

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.