Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Hits New 1-Year Low - What's Next?

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $406.94 and last traded at $412.63, with a volume of 54968 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $425.24.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MUSA shares. Melius started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. KeyCorp lowered their target price 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. Raymond James downgraded shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Melius Research raised 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 given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $526.29.

Murphy USA Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $8.20 billion, a PE ratio of 17.15 and a beta of 0.50. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $464.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $482.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

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 firm had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.12 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $0.50 dividend. 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. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.48%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.44%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, Director David C. Haley purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 69.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $211,135,000 after acquiring an additional 176,308 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 39.3% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 12,364 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $6,204,000 after buying an additional 3,486 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,603 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,310,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at $5,042,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 3,210 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,616,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in 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.