Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $509.40.

MUSA has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com upgraded 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 $501.80 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $522.23 and its 200 day moving average is $504.85. The stock has a market cap of $10.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.70 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19. Murphy USA has a 12-month low of $350.55 and a 12-month high of $561.08.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 391 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $193,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 40.4% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in Murphy USA by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 7.3% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 547 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lindenwold Advisors INC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 3.7% during the third quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 1,089 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $537,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Company Profile

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.