Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $606.89 According to Brokerages

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $606.11.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MUSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Murphy USA from $619.00 to $612.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered Murphy USA from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $550.00 to $625.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $655.00 to $633.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 7th.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Eric Bartko sold 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $523.60, for a total transaction of $52,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 252 shares in the company, valued at $131,947.20. The trade was a 28.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total transaction of $552,436.08. Following the sale, the director directly owned 449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $256,774.12. The trade was a 68.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 9.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 1.2% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,625 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $876,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Kenora Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 3.3% in the first quarter. Kenora Financial LLC now owns 654 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $323,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 2.6% in the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 826 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $416,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 3.0% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 864 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 3.2% in the second quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 802 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $433,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $537.70 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $9.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.29. The company’s 50 day moving average is $529.37 and its 200 day moving average is $547.49. Murphy USA has a twelve month low of $349.83 and a twelve month high of $636.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 96.01%. The company had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.36 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 34.89 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th were given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 7.92%.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA Inc is a U.S. operator of retail fuel and convenience stores. The company sells gasoline and diesel fuel along with tobacco products, packaged beverages, snacks, candy, grocery items, general merchandise and other convenience products. Many locations also offer prepared food and related services.

The company operates stores under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express brands, with a network concentrated primarily in the Southern, Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Murphy USA locations are commonly situated near Walmart stores, while Murphy Express sites generally operate as standalone convenience stores.