StockNews.com Upgrades Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) to "Buy"

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on MUSA. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. 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 price target on the stock. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stephens upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $539.00.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA stock traded down $0.22 during trading on Friday, reaching $498.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 176,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 203,354. The company's fifty day moving average is $473.81 and its 200-day moving average is $493.90. Murphy USA has a 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The company has a market capitalization of $9.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.59 and a beta of 0.73. 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 (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. On average, research analysts expect that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 347 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $174,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,444 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,230,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 8,938 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,485,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 1.2% during the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,130 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,000,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 967 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $485,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.