Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $554.61 and last traded at $554.61, with a volume of 2949 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $545.34.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 26th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $495.33.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.8 %

The firm has a market cap of $11.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.92 and a beta of 0.75. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $497.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $488.24. 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 (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.64 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.54 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 62.73% and a net margin of 2.48%. The business’s revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.69 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be given a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.35%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 4th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 7.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 49,501.3% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 388,874 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $191,664,000 after buying an additional 388,090 shares during the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the third quarter worth $53,387,000. FMR LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 6.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,751,206 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 99,253 shares during the period. Argent Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 1,359.6% during the 2nd quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 93,326 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $43,813,000 after purchasing an additional 86,932 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,122,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.