Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Price Up 4.7% - Should You Buy?

Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) were up 4.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $428.97 and last traded at $425.35. Approximately 214,772 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 3% from the average daily volume of 222,032 shares. The stock had previously closed at $406.25.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on MUSA. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Melius started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $526.29.

Murphy USA Trading Up 5.0%

The company has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.99 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $455.58 and a 200 day moving average of $475.04.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.87 by ($1.24). The business had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.46% and a return on equity of 61.19%. Murphy USA's revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director David C. Haley bought 1,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $435,580. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 10.12% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 14.7% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 4,800 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,255,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 103.3% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 744 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 378 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 9.2% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 61,612 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,946,000 after buying an additional 5,184 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the first quarter valued at approximately $536,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter worth approximately $799,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by 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.

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