Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Thursday morning.

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

Murphy USA Stock Performance

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

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. NBC Securities Inc. raised its position in Murphy USA by 111,400.0% in the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,115 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $523,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 36.2% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 591 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 53,469.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 553,906 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $260,231,000 after buying an additional 552,872 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,539 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,284,000 after acquiring an additional 755 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 19,060 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $9,563,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.