Insider Selling: Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Director Sells 1,000 Shares of Company Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director David Goebel sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.36, for a total value of $511,360.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 796 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $407,042.56. This represents a 55.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Murphy USA Trading Down 0.5%

MUSA stock traded down $2.50 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $510.50. 361,311 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 314,869. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $352.42 and a 12-month high of $636.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.31, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.29. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $523.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $515.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The specialty retailer reported $9.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.37 by $1.22. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 96.37%. The firm had revenue of $6.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.25 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 34.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 34.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 4th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.07%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $915,734,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter worth approximately $78,372,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter worth approximately $54,143,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 21,322.2% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 103,041 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $55,526,000 after acquiring an additional 102,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at approximately $49,320,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MUSA shares. Bank of America lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $612.00 to $621.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $380.00 to $550.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock 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.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.33.

About Murphy USA

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.