Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $1.32 EPS

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $1.32, Zacks reports. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 91.05% and a net margin of 2.81%.The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.36 EPS. Murphy USA’s quarterly revenue was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.4%

NYSE:MUSA opened at $581.27 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.74 billion, a PE ratio of 20.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.28. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $575.43 and a 200-day moving average of $508.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24. Murphy USA has a 52 week low of $349.83 and a 52 week high of $636.04.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 1,050 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.44, for a total value of $555,912.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,632,263.52. The trade was a 25.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 517 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $574.49, for a total transaction of $297,011.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $287,245. This trade represents a 50.84% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,567 shares of company stock valued at $2,494,673. Insiders own 9.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 10.2% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $792,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 423.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter valued at $603,000. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter valued at $596,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at $227,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MUSA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $380.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $619.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $596.44.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company’s primary operations center on two retail formats.