Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA – Get Rating) had its price target boosted by research analysts at Stephens from $315.00 to $355.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Stock Target Advisor reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Stephens’ price objective suggests a potential upside of 12.51% from the company’s previous close.
Several other equities analysts also recently commented on MUSA. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Murphy USA from $200.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Murphy USA from $230.00 to $270.00 in a research report on Friday, July 29th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.25.
Murphy USA Stock Performance
NYSE MUSA traded up $10.56 during trading on Friday, reaching $315.52. 14,488 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 340,112. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $160.74 and a fifty-two week high of $308.12. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $284.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $262.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.63 and a beta of 0.87.
Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 27th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.35 by $2.18. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 68.86% and a net margin of 2.58%. The company had revenue of $6.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.79 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 51.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 25.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Murphy USA news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.43, for a total transaction of $327,814.03. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 17,998 shares in the company, valued at $5,263,155.14. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Murphy USA news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.48, for a total transaction of $14,274,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 463,524 shares in the company, valued at $132,326,831.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,121 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.43, for a total value of $327,814.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 17,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,263,155.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of MUSA. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 47.6% in the second quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 121 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Private Trust Co. NA acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Pinebridge Investments L.P. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at $43,000. 87.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Murphy USA Company Profile
Murphy USA Inc engages in marketing of retail motor fuel products and convenience merchandise. The company operates retail stores under the Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and QuickChek brands. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 1,679 retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States.
Further Reading
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