Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Earns Overweight Rating from Analysts at KeyCorp

KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) in a research report released on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm issued an overweight rating and a $550.00 target price on the specialty retailer’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on MUSA. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Stephens upgraded Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $539.00.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $514.54 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.26 and a beta of 0.73. Murphy USA has a 1-year low of $382.04 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The company’s 50-day moving average is $468.08 and its 200 day moving average is $492.46.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 over the last quarter. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $204,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the third quarter worth about $222,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in Murphy USA by 35.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 863 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $425,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter worth about $3,836,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

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.