Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Murphy USA (MUSA) from a "hold" to a "buy," though the sell‑side consensus remains a "Hold" with an average price target of $447.33 and JPMorgan recently initiated coverage with an "overweight" rating and $539 target.
• Murphy USA beat EPS expectations in the most recent quarter ($7.53 vs. $6.67) but slightly missed on revenue; the stock trades around $505.75, near its 52‑week high of $523.09, with a market cap of about $9.36B and a PE of ~20.8.
• Insiders sold roughly $6.2M of stock over the last quarter (insiders own 9.04%), while institutional investors own about 80.81% and several major funds (AQR, Morgan Stanley, Barclays) increased their stakes.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 target price for the company. KeyCorp set a $500.00 price target on Murphy USA in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, January 9th. They set an "underperform" rating for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Murphy USA from $467.00 to $445.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $447.33.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $505.75 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47. The company's 50-day moving average price is $424.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $402.44. Murphy USA has a 52 week low of $345.23 and a 52 week high of $523.09. The stock has a market cap of $9.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.40.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $0.86. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.88 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 75.75%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.96 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 899 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.53, for a total value of $343,894.47. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 137 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $422.44, for a total value of $57,874.28. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,970 shares of company stock worth $6,212,365. Insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 149.9% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 507,418 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $204,753,000 after acquiring an additional 304,354 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 506,214 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $204,267,000 after purchasing an additional 7,973 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 318.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 424,818 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $164,940,000 after buying an additional 323,331 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 45.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 318,473 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $128,511,000 after acquiring an additional 99,798 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 300,758 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $121,365,000 after purchasing an additional 1,930 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company's primary operations center on two retail formats.

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