Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Gap Down After Earnings Miss

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped down before the market opened on Thursday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $411.80, but opened at $385.00. Murphy USA shares last traded at $397.33, with a volume of 90,981 shares traded.

The specialty retailer reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.97). The firm had revenue of $4.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.89 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 70.92% and a net margin of 2.59%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.80 earnings per share.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Murphy USA's payout ratio is 6.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MUSA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $375.00 to $425.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $408.60.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total value of $503,830.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 21,564 shares in the company, valued at $8,797,249.44. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total value of $503,830.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 21,564 shares in the company, valued at $8,797,249.44. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total value of $275,925.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,002,722.15. 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 quarter. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 14.2% during the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,220 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $417,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the third quarter valued at approximately $226,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the third quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 5.3% in the third quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 1,561 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 4.6% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 4,704 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,608,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Down 3.8 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $415.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $384.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.25 billion, a PE ratio of 16.12 and a beta of 0.77.

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.