Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Murphy USA from buy to strong-buy, although the broader analyst consensus remains Hold with an average target price of $539.50.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $7.28 versus estimates of $5.37 and revenue of $4.82 billion, above expectations of $4.70 billion.
• Shares were trading at $524.87 after recent insider selling, including notable share sales by directors, while institutional investors continue to hold the vast majority of the stock.

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

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $510.00 to $517.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Capital One Financial initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $710.00 price objective for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $539.50.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $524.87 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $549.88 and its 200-day moving average is $472.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.69 billion, a PE ratio of 18.14, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.30. Murphy USA has a 52 week low of $345.23 and a 52 week high of $636.04.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.37 by $1.91. The business had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 91.05% and a net margin of 2.81%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.63 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA will post 32.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 41,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $596.96, for a total transaction of $24,773,840.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 342,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $204,286,875.52. This represents a 10.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total transaction of $1,641,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,841 shares in the company, valued at $29,464,487.25. This trade represents a 5.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 46,225 shares of company stock worth $27,363,392. Corporate insiders own 9.02% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 106.7% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 423.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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