Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Trading Down 2%

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) shares dropped 2% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $502.12 and last traded at $505.29. Approximately 25,462 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 200,468 shares. The stock had previously closed at $515.34.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Raymond James boosted their target price on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $464.57.

Murphy USA Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20. The company has a market capitalization of $10.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.85 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $510.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $460.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The specialty retailer reported $6.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.91 by $0.01. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.50% and a return on equity of 64.73%. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.02 EPS. Murphy USA’s revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 24.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.36%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.55%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 16,755 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.54, for a total transaction of $8,621,117.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 396,384 shares in the company, valued at $203,955,423.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Murphy USA news, Director James W. Keyes sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.54, for a total transaction of $1,023,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 16,114 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,242,955.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 16,755 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.54, for a total value of $8,621,117.70. Following the transaction, the director now owns 396,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $203,955,423.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 32,209 shares of company stock worth $16,564,666. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 777.8% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 79 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 141.4% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 19.0% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 82.1% in the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 173 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.