Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Given New $460.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) had its target price boosted by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $440.00 to $460.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target points to a potential upside of 10.84% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on MUSA. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $375.00 to $425.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $470.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $408.60.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE:MUSA traded up $2.16 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $415.01. 5,842 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 204,006. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15. Murphy USA has a 1 year low of $267.61 and a 1 year high of $430.83. The company has a market cap of $8.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.24 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $411.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $380.49.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.79 by $1.21. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 70.92%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.21 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 26.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total value of $2,837,410.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,607,700.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total transaction of $2,837,410.72. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,607,700.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,525 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.42, for a total transaction of $627,415.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,670 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,098,491.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,440 shares of company stock worth $4,244,582. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Headinvest LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth $138,000. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 40.6% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 31,087 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $10,623,000 after purchasing an additional 8,972 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 164,400 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $56,180,000 after acquiring an additional 2,996 shares during the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,654,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 73,205 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,016,000 after acquiring an additional 15,914 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.