Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $495.33.

Several research firms recently commented on MUSA. StockNews.com upgraded Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Murphy USA from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a report on Thursday, September 19th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Stifel Financial Corp raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 22.2% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 8,385 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,133,000 after buying an additional 1,526 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Murphy USA by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 35,240 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $17,369,000 after acquiring an additional 2,028 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,573,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 69.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $211,135,000 after purchasing an additional 176,308 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 622.9% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 4,048 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,995,000 after buying an additional 3,488 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA traded down $8.07 on Thursday, reaching $493.68. The stock had a trading volume of 97,550 shares, compared to its average volume of 192,074. The business's 50-day moving average price is $520.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $504.29. Murphy USA has a 12-month low of $350.55 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The company has a market cap of $10.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.37 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.64 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.54 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 62.73% and a net margin of 2.48%. The company's revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.69 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 23.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.92%.

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.