Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Given New $460.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) had its price objective lifted by Wells Fargo & Company from $440.00 to $460.00 in a report published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the specialty retailer's stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their target price for the company from $375.00 to $425.00 in a report on Thursday, January 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $408.60.

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of MUSA traded up $4.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $417.40. 171,634 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 206,221. The company has a market cap of $8.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.36 and a beta of 0.76. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $267.61 and a fifty-two week high of $430.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.95. The stock's 50-day moving average is $412.01 and its 200-day moving average is $380.97.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.79 by $1.21. The business had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 70.92%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.21 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 26.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 6.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total value of $2,837,410.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,448 shares in the company, valued at $2,607,700.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Murphy USA news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total value of $2,837,410.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,448 shares in the company, valued at $2,607,700.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total transaction of $503,830.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,564 shares in the company, valued at $8,797,249.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,440 shares of company stock worth $4,244,582 over the last three months. Insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 191.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 394.7% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 94 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Delta Asset Management LLC TN grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 70.7% during the fourth quarter. Delta Asset Management LLC TN now owns 128 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently 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.