Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director James W. Keyes Sells 2,000 Shares

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director James W. Keyes sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $511.54, for a total transaction of $1,023,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 16,114 shares in the company, valued at $8,242,955.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Murphy USA Trading Down 0.9 %

MUSA stock opened at $510.43 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $309.18 and a twelve month high of $522.57. The company has a market cap of $10.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.42 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a fifty day moving average of $494.26 and a 200-day moving average of $448.43.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The specialty retailer reported $6.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.91 by $0.01. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.73% and a net margin of 2.50%. The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.02 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 24.83 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 26th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.55%.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 74.7% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 9,028 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,219,000 after purchasing an additional 3,860 shares during the last quarter. Islay Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Islay Capital Management LLC now owns 2,707 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $965,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $257,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 1,827.2% during the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 20,602 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $7,346,000 after purchasing an additional 19,533 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MUSA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $469.50.

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.