Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on MUSA. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Murphy USA from $619.00 to $612.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $380.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $550.00 to $625.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $606.11.

Murphy USA Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $537.70 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $9.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $529.37 and its 200-day moving average is $547.49. 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 2.77, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.92.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 96.01% and a net margin of 2.87%. The business had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.36 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 36.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 34.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, SVP Eric Bartko sold 100 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $523.60, for a total transaction of $52,360.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $131,947.20. This trade represents a 28.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total value of $552,436.08. Following the transaction, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 9.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. CX Institutional acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the third quarter worth $33,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter worth $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 82.5% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at $48,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA Inc is a U.S. operator of retail fuel and convenience stores. The company sells gasoline and diesel fuel along with tobacco products, packaged beverages, snacks, candy, grocery items, general merchandise and other convenience products. Many locations also offer prepared food and related services.

The company operates stores under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express brands, with a network concentrated primarily in the Southern, Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Murphy USA locations are commonly situated near Walmart stores, while Murphy Express sites generally operate as standalone convenience stores.