Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Down 6.4% – Here’s Why

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) was down 6.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $580.45 and last traded at $582.9720. Approximately 18,537 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 95% from the average daily volume of 342,289 shares. The stock had previously closed at $622.53.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MUSA shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Murphy USA from $510.00 to $517.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings cut Murphy USA from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Murphy USA from $450.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $515.14.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $542.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $464.79. The company has a market cap of $10.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.82, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.37 by $1.91. The company had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 91.05% and a net margin of 2.81%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.63 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 32.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a dividend of $0.64 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total transaction of $1,641,750.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 53,841 shares in the company, valued at $29,464,487.25. The trade was a 5.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 517 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $574.49, for a total transaction of $297,011.33. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $287,245. This represents a 50.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 46,225 shares of company stock valued at $27,363,392. 9.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 82.4% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 106.7% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the third quarter worth about $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

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.