Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Friday morning.

MUSA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE MUSA opened at $440.45 on Friday. Murphy USA has a 12 month low of $382.04 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The company has a market cap of $8.72 billion, a PE ratio of 18.20 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $474.38 and a 200-day moving average of $497.22. 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 (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 approximately $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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $360,491.07. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. The trade was 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 valued at $1,695,043 in the last quarter. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.