Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

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

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $415.00 to $435.00 in a report on Thursday, September 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $495.33.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $548.11 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $11.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.61 and a beta of 0.78. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $510.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $497.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $350.55 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.64 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $5.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.69 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 23.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 40.4% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Key Financial Inc raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 942.9% during the third quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 146 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 82.1% during the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 173 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 25.6% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 201 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 135.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 186 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.