Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $525.67.

MUSA has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. 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, February 6th. Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA 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 directly owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 186.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at about $64,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $440.63 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $478.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $499.33. Murphy USA has a 52-week low of $382.04 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.21 and a beta of 0.80.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.10%.

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.