Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Sets New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $400.90 and last traded at $402.97, with a volume of 296990 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $415.02.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MUSA shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. KeyCorp reduced their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Stephens reduced their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $526.29.

Murphy USA Trading Up 1.8%

The stock's 50 day moving average price is $459.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $477.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.05 billion, a PE ratio of 17.18 and a beta of 0.50.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.87 by ($1.24). The firm had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.79 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.19% and a net margin of 2.46%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.12 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 8.44%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, Director David C. Haley bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,864,405 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $935,465,000 after acquiring an additional 54,658 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,783,849 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $895,046,000 after acquiring an additional 32,643 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 53,469.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 553,906 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $260,231,000 after acquiring an additional 552,872 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 470,602 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $236,125,000 after acquiring an additional 18,097 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 5.4% during the first quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 442,130 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $207,717,000 after acquiring an additional 22,733 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

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.