Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Rating Lowered 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 sent to investors on Saturday morning.

MUSA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. 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. 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $510.80.

Murphy USA Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $485.65 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $502.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $506.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.07 and a beta of 0.79. Murphy USA has a 12-month low of $382.04 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) 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 61.60%. On average, equities analysts expect that Murphy USA will post 26.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 40.4% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $64,000. 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.