StockNews.com Upgrades Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) to “Buy”

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Melius started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price 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. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $525.67.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded down $3.43 during trading on Thursday, hitting $448.31. 211,128 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 193,762. The stock has a market cap of $8.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53 and a beta of 0.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $481.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $500.83. Murphy USA has a 12-month low of $382.04 and a 12-month 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.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company’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 $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 over the last ninety days. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth about $220,000. Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 74,910 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $37,586,000 after buying an additional 4,390 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 29.1% in the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 4,508 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,262,000 after purchasing an additional 1,015 shares in the last quarter. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 20.9% in the fourth quarter. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,390 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $697,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 863 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 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.