Weiss Ratings Reiterates "Hold (C)" Rating for Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA)

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has reaffirmed a "Hold (C)" rating for Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA), indicating a cautious stance on the stock's performance.
• Murphy USA's stock has a current trading price of $375.56, with a 52-week low of $345.23 and a high of $561.08, reflecting volatility in the market.
• The company reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $7.36 for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations, despite a revenue decline of 8.2% year-over-year.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c)" rating restated by equities research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a report issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $480.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $483.17.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.3%

MUSA traded up $1.11 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $375.56. 14,333 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 292,225. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $383.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $425.45. The company has a market cap of $7.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.55 and a beta of 0.42. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $345.23 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.54. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 64.63%. The firm had revenue of $5.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.92 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total value of $717,982.98. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 117,389 shares in the company, valued at $45,337,979.58. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy acquired 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $367.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,835,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 389,172 shares in the company, valued at $142,830,015.72. The trade was a 1.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 2,594.2% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 142,038 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $66,731,000 after buying an additional 136,766 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at about $241,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter worth approximately $40,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,683,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 21.1% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $568,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Company Profile

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.

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