Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Receives $510.80 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $510.80.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th.

Murphy USA Trading Down 3.4 %

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $445.19 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $382.04 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The company has a fifty day moving average of $495.66 and a 200 day moving average of $505.02. The company has a market capitalization of $9.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.40 and a beta of 0.79.

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 return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 7.93%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 22.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 8,385 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,133,000 after buying an additional 1,526 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,207,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,529,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 6.1% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 35,240 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $17,369,000 after buying an additional 2,028 shares during the period. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA in the third quarter worth approximately $1,573,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.