Key Points
- CEO Malynda West sold 4,051 shares on Jan. 7 at an average of $425 for $1,721,675, trimming her stake by 3.34% to 117,389 shares (valued ≈ $49.9M).
- Murphy USA beat quarterly EPS estimates with $7.25 vs. $6.60 and reported $5.11B in revenue (down 2.5% YoY); analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $474 and projected FY EPS of 26.45.
- The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.63 ($2.52 annual, yield ~0.6%) and the stock trades near $426 with a market cap of about $8 billion and a P/E of ~18.
Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) CEO Malynda West sold 4,051 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.00, for a total transaction of $1,721,675.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 117,389 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,890,325. The trade was a 3.34% 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 Performance
Murphy USA stock opened at $426.25 on Thursday. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $345.23 and a twelve month high of $523.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07. The company has a market capitalization of $7.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.98 and a beta of 0.39. The stock's 50 day moving average is $387.96 and its 200 day moving average is $391.74.
Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.60 by $0.65. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 69.87% and a net margin of 2.43%.The business had revenue of $5.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.20 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Murphy USA Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.63%.
Institutional Trading of Murphy USA
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 82.4% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 423.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 317.6% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research firms have weighed in on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $405.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $480.00 to $460.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $474.00.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Murphy USA
About Murphy USA
(
Get Free Report)
Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.
The company's primary operations center on two retail formats.
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