Insider Selling: Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Director Sells $511,360.00 in Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director David Goebel sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.36, for a total transaction of $511,360.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 796 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $407,042.56. The trade was a 55.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE:MUSA traded down $2.50 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $510.50. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 361,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 314,869. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $352.42 and a 52-week high of $636.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $523.77 and a 200-day moving average of $515.26.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The specialty retailer reported $9.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.37 by $1.22. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 96.37%. The company had revenue of $6.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 34.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 34.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 4th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MUSA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $612.00 to $621.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $633.00 to $626.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $915,734,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at approximately $78,372,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at approximately $54,143,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 21,322.2% during the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 103,041 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $55,526,000 after purchasing an additional 102,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter worth $49,320,000. 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.