Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Rating Increased 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 report sent to investors on Thursday.

MUSA has been the topic of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stephens raised Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $539.00.

Murphy USA Stock Up 6.7 %

Shares of MUSA opened at $514.54 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $468.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $492.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. Murphy USA has a 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.26 and a beta of 0.73.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. Analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.49 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 8.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $204,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the third quarter worth $222,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in Murphy USA by 35.3% in the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 863 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $425,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 22.2% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 8,385 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,133,000 after acquiring an additional 1,526 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth $3,836,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

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.