Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $408.60.

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of MUSA traded up $5.89 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $459.40. 140,843 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 214,996. Murphy USA has a 52 week low of $282.49 and a 52 week high of $489.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. The company’s 50 day moving average is $446.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $413.14. The company has a market capitalization of $9.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.28 and a beta of 0.77.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The specialty retailer reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.97). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.45% and a net margin of 2.43%. The firm had revenue of $4.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.80 EPS. Murphy USA’s quarterly revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 24.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $82,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Murphy USA news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 10,392 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $440.32, for a total value of $4,575,805.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 199,563 shares in the company, valued at $87,871,580.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $82,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 11,451 shares of company stock worth $5,032,498. 9.73% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 191.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 777.8% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 79 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 394.7% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 94 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.