StockNews.com Downgrades Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) to Hold

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

MUSA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $525.67.

Murphy USA Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE MUSA traded up $5.90 during trading on Friday, hitting $447.00. The stock had a trading volume of 209,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 194,323. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.47 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $474.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $497.22. Murphy USA has a one year low of $382.04 and a one year high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last ninety days. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $433,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 2.0% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 6,129 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $3,021,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 94.9% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,736 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,841,000 after buying an additional 1,819 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in Murphy USA by 64.2% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 15,865 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $7,819,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.