Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Rating Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

Posted by Defense World Staff on Aug 10th, 2023

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA – Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on MUSA. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Murphy USA from $362.00 to $360.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $370.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $325.00 to $330.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $318.60.

Get Our Latest Report on Murphy USA

Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE MUSA opened at $307.96 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $6.61 billion, a PE ratio of 12.17 and a beta of 0.81. Murphy USA has a twelve month low of $231.65 and a twelve month high of $323.40. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $300.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $278.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $6.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.09 by ($0.07). Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 80.20%. The company had revenue of $5.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.61 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 20.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.31, for a total value of $211,617.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 1,075 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.72, for a total transaction of $298,549.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,849,892.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.31, for a total transaction of $211,617.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 9.47% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,175 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,593,000 after purchasing an additional 307 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $4,152,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 87,085 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $24,344,000 after purchasing an additional 2,574 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Murphy USA by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 6,228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,744,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 56.0% in the 1st quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.01% of the company’s stock.

About Murphy USA

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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. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas.