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

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on MUSA. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Stephens upgraded Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a 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 objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of MUSA stock traded up $7.03 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $482.72. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 280,517 shares, compared to its average volume of 202,510. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $468.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $492.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market cap of $9.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.95 and a beta of 0.73. Murphy USA has a 52-week low of $382.04 and a 52-week high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. Research analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 over the last 90 days. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 186.1% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $64,000. 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.