Melius Begins Coverage on Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA)

Melius assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) in a report released on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $600.00 price objective on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on MUSA. StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $525.67.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA stock opened at $448.31 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $481.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $500.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.53 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. Murphy USA has a 12-month low of $382.04 and a 12-month high of $561.08.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Atria Investments Inc increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 17.0% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 1,669 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $823,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 6.8% in the third quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,345 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,156,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 2.1% in the third quarter. Meridian Management Co. now owns 2,452 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,209,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Arcus Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the third quarter worth about $256,000. Finally, Verus Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 5.9% in the third quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 861 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $424,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

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.