Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $509.40.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.5 %

MUSA stock traded down $7.45 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $481.83. 187,629 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 162,347. The company has a market cap of $9.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.88 and a beta of 0.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $523.10 and its 200-day moving average is $505.16. Murphy USA has a 12 month low of $350.55 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.64 by $0.56. The company had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.69 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA will post 23.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 40.4% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 186.1% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 348.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 942.9% during the 3rd quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 146 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 135.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 186 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Murphy USA

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.