Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Rating Lowered to Market Perform at Raymond James

Raymond James downgraded shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a report published on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Stephens raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. Melius started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $526.29.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA traded up $5.72 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $441.10. 305,191 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 267,668. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $424.02 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The company has a market cap of $8.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23 and a beta of 0.59. The firm's fifty day moving average is $475.26 and its 200 day moving average is $493.74.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.87 by ($1.24). The firm had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.79 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. Murphy USA's quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.12 earnings per share. On average, 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 will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GW&K Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its stake 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 during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at $40,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth $50,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.