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

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Friday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $510.80.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA stock traded down $20.68 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $478.80. The stock had a trading volume of 334,729 shares, compared to its average volume of 208,937. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19. Murphy USA has a 52 week low of $371.30 and a 52 week high of $561.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.75 and a beta of 0.79. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $509.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $507.16.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 23.62 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 40.4% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 186.1% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000. 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.