Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective 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. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $452.64 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $480.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $500.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.70 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. Murphy USA has a 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. As a group, research analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Atria Investments Inc lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 17.0% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 1,669 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $823,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 6.8% in the third quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,345 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,156,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 14.6% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,294 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,609,000 after buying an additional 673 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the third quarter valued at $433,000. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 9.9% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 476 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $235,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

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.