Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) had its target price boosted by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $450.00 to $520.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective points to a potential downside of 12.73% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $510.00 to $517.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $560.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $503.71.

Murphy USA Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $595.84 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $472.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $423.24. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $345.23 and a fifty-two week high of $597.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.37 by $1.91. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. The business had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.63 earnings per share. Murphy USA’s revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 29.66 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 137 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $422.44, for a total value of $57,874.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 899 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.53, for a total transaction of $343,894.47. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,919 shares of company stock valued at $4,490,690. Corporate insiders own 9.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 10.2% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $792,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter worth $603,000. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter worth $596,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter worth $227,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Murphy USA

Here are the key news stories impacting Murphy USA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations — EPS of $7.28 vs. consensus ~$5.37, fuel contribution and merchandise margins both improved, and the company continued buybacks and a dividend; these operational beats are the primary driver of the rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and model raises: Zacks moved MUSA to a stronger recommendation and several shops (KeyCorp, Zacks team) have nudged EPS and longer-term estimates higher, supporting a higher valuation case. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum / market interest: coverage pieces note MUSA at a 52?week high and classify it as a strong momentum/growth stock — that can attract momentum and quant flows. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinions and price targets are mixed — KeyCorp and some shops have $600+ targets while the median across recent reports is below the current price, producing both upside and tail?risk narratives for different investors. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo set an “equal weight” stance and raised its target to $520 — still below the current market level — which could cap further upside from some institutional holders. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling has been heavy in recent months (multiple senior exec sales), which some investors view as a governance or near-term sentiment risk. Read More.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company’s primary operations center on two retail formats.