Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $495.33.

MUSA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $501.75 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $520.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $504.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.80. Murphy USA has a 52-week low of $350.55 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The company has a market capitalization of $10.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.70 and a beta of 0.78.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.64 by $0.56. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. The business had revenue of $5.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.69 earnings per share. Murphy USA’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 23.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th were given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.92%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 40.4% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 942.9% in the third quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 146 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 82.1% in the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 173 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 135.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 186 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the second quarter worth $94,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

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.