Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Price Breaks Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Murphy USA shares moved above their 200-day moving average, trading as high as $522.72 versus the average of $516.65.
• Analysts have a “Moderate Buy” consensus from six Buy and five Hold ratings, with an average price target of $606.33.
• The company beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue up 34.8% year over year, and raised its quarterly dividend from $0.65 to $0.72 per share.

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $516.65 and traded as high as $522.72. Murphy USA shares last traded at $520.1640, with a volume of 449,593 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MUSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Wall Street Zen cut Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Murphy USA from $612.00 to $621.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Murphy USA from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Murphy USA from $633.00 to $626.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.33.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $521.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $516.65. The company has a market capitalization of $9.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.87.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The specialty retailer reported $9.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.37 by $1.22. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 92.81% and a net margin of 2.85%. The company had revenue of $6.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.25 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 34.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 35.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 4th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 7.29%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Goebel sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $511.36, for a total value of $511,360.00. Following the sale, the director owned 796 shares of the company's stock, valued at $407,042.56. The trade was a 55.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $523.60, for a total value of $52,360.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 252 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $131,947.20. This represents a 28.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 3,526 shares of company stock worth $1,869,005 over the last ninety days. 9.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,724,000. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 23.2% in the 1st quarter. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 146,119 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $71,986,000 after purchasing an additional 27,513 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter worth approximately $3,771,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,358,000. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth $950,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA Inc is a U.S. operator of retail fuel and convenience stores. The company sells gasoline and diesel fuel along with tobacco products, packaged beverages, snacks, candy, grocery items, general merchandise and other convenience products. Many locations also offer prepared food and related services.

The company operates stores under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express brands, with a network concentrated primarily in the Southern, Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Murphy USA locations are commonly situated near Walmart stores, while Murphy Express sites generally operate as standalone convenience stores.

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