Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Price Target Cut to $445.00 by Analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) had its target price dropped by equities research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $467.00 to $445.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a “sector perform” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 11.88% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on MUSA. Zacks Research raised shares of Murphy USA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Stephens raised their target price on Murphy USA from $425.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. KeyCorp set a $500.00 price target on Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Murphy USA from $375.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $463.33.

Murphy USA Trading Down 10.6%

MUSA traded down $47.09 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $397.76. 457,475 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 298,054. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $414.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $393.68. Murphy USA has a 1-year low of $345.23 and a 1-year high of $523.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.67 by $0.86. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.88 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 69.87% and a net margin of 2.43%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.96 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, CEO Malynda K. West sold 4,051 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.00, for a total value of $1,721,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 117,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,890,325. This trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 24,733 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $381.33, for a total value of $9,431,434.89. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 131,024 shares in the company, valued at $49,963,381.92. The trade was a 15.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 45,034 shares of company stock worth $17,349,722. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake 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 worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 317.6% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Company Profile

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.