Analysts Set Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Price Target at $495.33

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $495.33.

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. 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. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 26th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price target on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, Director James W. Keyes sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $511.54, for a total value of $1,023,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 16,114 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,242,955.56. The trade was a 11.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 21.2% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 16,673 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,991,000 after acquiring an additional 2,911 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 10.3% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 13,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $5,646,000 after buying an additional 1,254 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 35,240 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $17,369,000 after acquiring an additional 2,028 shares during the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 24.3% in the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,617 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $678,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 62.7% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 4,455 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,902,000 after purchasing an additional 1,717 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $529.19 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $10.72 billion, a PE ratio of 21.83 and a beta of 0.75. Murphy USA has a 1 year low of $350.55 and a 1 year high of $552.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $497.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $482.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.64 by $0.56. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. The company had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.69 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 23.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 4th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.36%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.92%.

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.