Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Upgraded at KeyCorp

KeyCorp upgraded shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Stephens raised Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $539.00.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA opened at $514.54 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $468.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $492.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. Murphy USA has a 52-week low of $382.04 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The company has a market cap of $10.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.26 and a beta of 0.73.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. On average, analysts expect that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.38%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 8.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 186.1% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $64,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Murphy USA

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.