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Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Short Interest Update

Murphy USA logo with Retail/Wholesale background

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,160,000 shares, an increase of 34.1% from the April 30th total of 865,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 303,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.8 days. Approximately 6.5% of the company's shares are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on MUSA. Stephens reduced their price target 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, May 9th. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Raymond James downgraded shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $526.29.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Murphy USA

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David C. Haley bought 1,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GW&K Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 116.7% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 65 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at about $40,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.1%

Murphy USA stock traded up $4.82 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $424.80. 198,423 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 216,422. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. Murphy USA has a 12 month low of $414.51 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $469.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $485.37. The company has a market cap of $8.39 billion, a PE ratio of 17.55 and a beta of 0.50.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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

Murphy USA Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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