Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Cut to "Hold" at StockNews.com

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Friday.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $539.00.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA stock traded up $2.55 on Friday, reaching $507.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,864 shares, compared to its average volume of 203,697. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $470.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $493.46. Murphy USA has a 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The company has a market capitalization of $10.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.99 and a beta of 0.73.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. Analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 53,469.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 553,906 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $260,231,000 after buying an additional 552,872 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $112,741,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 69.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $211,135,000 after purchasing an additional 176,308 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,777,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,122,000. 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.