Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $1.22 EPS

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The specialty retailer reported $9.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.37 by $1.22, FiscalAI reports. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 96.37% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business had revenue of $6.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.25 earnings per share. Murphy USA’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.8% on a year-over-year basis.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $547.85 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $525.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $514.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $10.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.29. Murphy USA has a 1-year low of $349.83 and a 1-year high of $636.04.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 4th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.92%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Eric Bartko sold 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $523.60, for a total value of $52,360.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,947.20. This represents a 28.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total transaction of $552,436.08. Following the sale, the director directly owned 449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $256,774.12. This trade represents a 68.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 9.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MUSA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $633.00 to $626.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Bank of America upped their target price on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $380.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.33.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA Inc is a U.S. operator of retail fuel and convenience stores. The company sells gasoline and diesel fuel along with tobacco products, packaged beverages, snacks, candy, grocery items, general merchandise and other convenience products. Many locations also offer prepared food and related services.

The company operates stores under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express brands, with a network concentrated primarily in the Southern, Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Murphy USA locations are commonly situated near Walmart stores, while Murphy Express sites generally operate as standalone convenience stores.