Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Receives $510.80 Average Target Price from Analysts

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $510.80.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MUSA shares. StockNews.com downgraded Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in Murphy USA by 22.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 8,385 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,133,000 after purchasing an additional 1,526 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $1,207,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $11,529,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 35,240 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $17,369,000 after acquiring an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth $1,573,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Murphy USA stock traded down $15.61 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $445.19. 447,872 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 216,905. The firm has a market cap of $9.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $495.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $505.01. Murphy USA has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. Equities analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is 7.93%.

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.