Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.50 EPS

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50, Zacks reports. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 62.73% and a net margin of 2.48%.

Murphy USA Trading Down 3.6 %

NYSE:MUSA traded down $17.98 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $481.51. 121,257 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 200,040. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.92 and a beta of 0.79. Murphy USA has a 12 month low of $371.30 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The company has a fifty day moving average of $509.52 and a 200 day moving average of $507.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $510.80.

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.