Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Director Robert Madison Murphy Sells 41,500 Shares

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 41,500 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $596.96, for a total value of $24,773,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 342,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $204,286,875.52. The trade was a 10.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE MUSA opened at $575.87 on Thursday. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $345.23 and a one year high of $609.82. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $480.50 and a 200 day moving average of $426.53. The company has a market capitalization of $10.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.91, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.37 by $1.91. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 91.05% and a net margin of 2.81%.The company had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. Murphy USA’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 30.08 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.71%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kenora Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Kenora Financial LLC now owns 654 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $323,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Enhancing Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Enhancing Capital LLC now owns 1,132 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $457,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,752 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $707,000 after buying an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 864 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $427,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 585 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on MUSA shares. Stephens dropped their target price on Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America raised Murphy USA from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $350.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings cut Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Murphy USA from $450.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $503.71.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company’s primary operations center on two retail formats.