Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $606.33.

Several research analysts have commented on MUSA shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $633.00 to $626.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Murphy USA from $612.00 to $621.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA stock traded up $10.09 during trading on Friday, reaching $544.80. 226,220 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 297,784. Murphy USA has a 1 year low of $353.32 and a 1 year high of $636.04. The company has a market capitalization of $9.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.27, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $522.39 and its 200 day moving average is $519.09.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The specialty retailer reported $9.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.37 by $1.22. The business had revenue of $6.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.25 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 92.81%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.25 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA will post 35.24 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 4th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 8.07%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, Director David Goebel sold 1,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director directly owned 796 shares in the company, valued at approximately $407,042.56. This represents a 55.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total transaction of $552,436.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 449 shares in the company, valued at $256,774.12. This represents a 68.27% 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 valued at $1,869,005 in the last ninety days. 9.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jacobi Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. CX Institutional purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $48,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA Inc. operates retail gasoline stations and convenience stores across the United States under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express brands. Its stores sell branded and unbranded gasoline and diesel fuel, along with convenience items such as beverages, snacks, tobacco products and other everyday merchandise. The company’s locations are concentrated in the South, Midwest and other parts of the country, including stores associated with its QuickChek brand in the Northeast. Murphy USA became an independent publicly traded company in 2013 after being spun off from Murphy Oil Corporation.