Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $1.32 EPS

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32, Zacks reports. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.36 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 36.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA traded down $8.27 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $581.27. The stock had a trading volume of 280,545 shares, compared to its average volume of 334,652. Murphy USA has a 52 week low of $349.83 and a 52 week high of $636.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $574.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $508.07. The firm has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.28.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $0.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MUSA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $550.00 to $625.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Bank of America boosted their target price on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $380.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $619.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $596.44.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total value of $1,641,750.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 53,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,464,487.25. The trade was a 5.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 1,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.44, for a total value of $555,912.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,083 shares in the company, valued at $1,632,263.52. This represents a 25.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,567 shares of company stock worth $2,494,673. 9.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth about $47,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 73.6% in the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

About Murphy USA

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.