Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Director David Goebel Sells 1,000 Shares of Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director David Goebel sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $511.36, for a total value of $511,360.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 796 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $407,042.56. This trade represents a 55.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $510.50 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.31, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.31. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $352.42 and a twelve month high of $636.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $522.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $515.59.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The specialty retailer reported $9.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.37 by $1.22. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 92.81% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $6.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $7.25 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 34.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 35.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be given a $0.72 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 4th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 7.29%.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. CX Institutional bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 82.5% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at about $48,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MUSA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $612.00 to $621.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $633.00 to $626.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.33.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA Inc is a U.S. operator of retail fuel and convenience stores. The company sells gasoline and diesel fuel along with tobacco products, packaged beverages, snacks, candy, grocery items, general merchandise and other convenience products. Many locations also offer prepared food and related services.

The company operates stores under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express brands, with a network concentrated primarily in the Southern, Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Murphy USA locations are commonly situated near Walmart stores, while Murphy Express sites generally operate as standalone convenience stores.