Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Hits New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $406.94 and last traded at $412.63, with a volume of 54968 shares. The stock had previously closed at $425.24.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp decreased their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Raymond James cut shares of Murphy USA from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Stephens lowered their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $526.29.

Murphy USA Trading Down 3.1%

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $469.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $484.78. The company has a market cap of $8.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.04 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. The firm had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.12 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.49%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, Director David C. Haley acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 69.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $211,135,000 after purchasing an additional 176,308 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 39.3% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 12,364 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,204,000 after purchasing an additional 3,486 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,603 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,310,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $5,042,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 3,210 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,616,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

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 well as operates non-fuel convenience stores. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States.