Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Director Robert Madison Murphy Sells 1,000 Shares of Company Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director Robert Murphy sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $588.93, for a total transaction of $588,930.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 40,379 shares in the company, valued at $23,780,404.47. This trade represents a 2.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Murphy USA Trading Down 1.4%

Murphy USA stock opened at $502.21 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $521.76 and a 200-day moving average of $515.84. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $352.42 and a one year high of $636.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a market cap of $9.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.31.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The specialty retailer reported $9.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.37 by $1.22. The company had revenue of $6.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.25 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 92.81% and a net margin of 2.85%. Murphy USA’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.25 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 35.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be given a dividend of $0.72 per share. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 4th. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 7.29%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CX Institutional acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA by 82.5% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $612.00 to $621.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.33.

About Murphy USA

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.