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

Key Points

• Murphy USA Inc. has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with an average 12-month price target of approximately $476.29.
• The company's recent earnings report indicated an EPS of $7.36, surpassing the analysts' estimates, although revenue was down 8.2% compared to the previous year.
• Murphy USA recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share, with a current yield of 0.5% and a payout ratio of 8.78%.

Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the ten analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $476.2857.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Murphy USA from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $480.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, September 5th.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:MUSA traded down $3.33 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $390.21. 304,083 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 265,616. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $395.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $433.43. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $345.23 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20. The company has a market capitalization of $7.53 billion, a PE ratio of 16.16 and a beta of 0.44.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 8.78%.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, Director Robert Madison Murphy acquired 5,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $367.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,835,050.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 389,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $142,830,015.72. This trade represents a 1.30% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total transaction of $717,982.98. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GW&K Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 116.7% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 65 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 1,925.0% during the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 81 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Murphy USA

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.