Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Upgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Wednesday morning.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $495.33.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $550.90 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.73 and a beta of 0.78. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $511.90 and a 200 day moving average of $497.78. Murphy USA has a 52 week low of $350.55 and a 52 week high of $561.08. 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 (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.54 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.69 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect 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 dividend of $0.48 per share. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Key Financial Inc increased its position in Murphy USA by 942.9% during the 3rd quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 146 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Murphy USA by 82.1% during the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 173 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 25.6% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 201 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 135.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 186 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

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.