Key Points
- Director sale: Murphy USA director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares for approximately $552,436 at an average price of $571.88, reducing her ownership by 68.27% to 449 shares.
- Strong quarterly results: The company reported adjusted earnings of $11.27 per share, exceeding estimates by $1.32, while revenue rose 36% year over year to $6.81 billion.
- Dividend and analyst outlook: Murphy USA raised its quarterly dividend to $0.65 per share, while analysts maintained an overall “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $606.89.
Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total transaction of $552,436.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 449 shares in the company, valued at $256,774.12. This represents a 68.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
Murphy USA Stock Performance
Shares of MUSA opened at $568.51 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $349.83 and a 1 year high of $636.04. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $577.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $518.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.92. The company has a market capitalization of $10.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.31, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.28.
Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 96.01%. The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $7.36 earnings per share. Murphy USA's revenue for the quarter was up 36.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 33.84 EPS for the current year.
Murphy USA Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 24th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.80%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA
Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MUSA. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth about $302,000. Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 559.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 178 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the second quarter worth $1,583,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 18.2% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 331 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $178,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,771,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research firms have recently commented on MUSA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Murphy USA from $655.00 to $633.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $380.00 to $550.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $550.00 to $625.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings raised Murphy USA from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $606.89.
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Murphy USA Company Profile
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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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