Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

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

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Raymond James lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $495.33.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE MUSA opened at $473.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.84. Murphy USA has a 52 week low of $350.55 and a 52 week high of $552.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $499.98 and a 200-day moving average of $473.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.86 and a beta of 0.77.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The specialty retailer reported $6.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.91 by $0.01. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.73% and a net margin of 2.50%. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.02 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 23.97 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.41%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.06%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James W. Keyes sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.54, for a total transaction of $1,023,080.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,114 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,242,955.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 13,454 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.38, for a total transaction of $6,920,468.52. Following the sale, the director now owns 382,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,971,533.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director James W. Keyes sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.54, for a total value of $1,023,080.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,114 shares in the company, valued at $8,242,955.56. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 32,209 shares of company stock worth $16,564,666 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 49,501.3% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 388,874 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $191,664,000 after purchasing an additional 388,090 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 0.6% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 245,220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $102,797,000 after purchasing an additional 1,519 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 0.8% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 204,363 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $95,940,000 after purchasing an additional 1,560 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1.2% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 141,637 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $66,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,635 shares during the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1.2% in the first quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 127,160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $53,305,000 after purchasing an additional 1,509 shares during the last quarter. 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.