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

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. 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. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $469.50.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.4 %

MUSA stock opened at $510.42 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $489.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $442.75. The company has a market cap of $10.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.42 and a beta of 0.77. Murphy USA has a 12-month low of $307.45 and a 12-month high of $521.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The specialty retailer reported $6.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.91 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.69 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.73% and a net margin of 2.50%. The business’s revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.02 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 24.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 26th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 7.55%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 16,755 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.54, for a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of MUSA. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 8.7% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,233 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,048,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 1.2% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 141,637 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $66,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,635 shares during the period. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 29.1% in the second quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 1,015 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 135.4% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp lifted its position in Murphy USA by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 5,640 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,648,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the period. 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.