Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a report on Thursday, September 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $495.33.

Murphy USA Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded up $7.11 on Wednesday, reaching $547.12. 118,226 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 193,198. The company has a market capitalization of $11.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.57 and a beta of 0.78. Murphy USA has a 52 week low of $350.55 and a 52 week high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $509.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $496.69.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.64 by $0.56. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. The firm had revenue of $5.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.54 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.69 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 23.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 5.4% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 391 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $193,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 40.4% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 3.8% during the second quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 784 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $368,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in Murphy USA by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 547 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $270,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is 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.