Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada upped 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, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $510.80.

Murphy USA Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE:MUSA opened at $485.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.41. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $382.04 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $502.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $506.16. The stock has a market cap of $9.83 billion, a PE ratio of 20.07 and a beta of 0.79.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, equities research analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 26.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. 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 dividend yield of 0.40%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 8.10%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 40.4% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $64,000. 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.