Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.
Murphy USA Price Performance
Shares of MUSA stock traded up $7.30 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $455.74. 388,667 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 192,006. The stock's 50-day moving average is $483.94 and its 200-day moving average is $501.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market cap of $9.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.83 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $382.04 and a 52 week high of $561.08.
Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.
Murphy USA Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.10%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA
Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 186.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at about $64,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages recently commented on MUSA. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $510.80.
Read Our Latest Analysis on MUSA
About Murphy USA
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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