Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) PT Raised to $460.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) had its price target increased by Wells Fargo & Company from $440.00 to $460.00 in a research note released on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a hold rating to a buy rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $375.00 to $425.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Stephens restated an overweight rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $408.60.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $418.02 on Friday. Murphy USA has a 52-week low of $267.93 and a 52-week high of $430.83. The company has a 50 day moving average of $412.46 and a 200 day moving average of $381.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15. The company has a market capitalization of $8.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.39 and a beta of 0.76.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.79 by $1.21. The business had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 70.92%. The company’s revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.21 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 26.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 6.59%.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total value of $2,837,410.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,607,700.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total transaction of $2,837,410.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,607,700.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total transaction of $275,925.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,002,722.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,440 shares of company stock valued at $4,244,582 in the last ninety days. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 70.2% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 10,659 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,468,000 after purchasing an additional 4,398 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter worth about $233,000. Nilsine Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 76.9% in the 1st quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 9,081 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,807,000 after buying an additional 3,947 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter worth about $461,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Oklahoma purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter worth about $249,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.