Murphy USA (MUSA) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) is scheduled to announce its quarterly earnings data after the market closes on Wednesday, May 1st. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $4.40 per share for the quarter. Investors that are interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.79 by $1.21. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 70.92%. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.32 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.21 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect Murphy USA to post $26 EPS for the current fiscal year and $28 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $421.34 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.77 billion, a PE ratio of 16.52 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $414.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $383.57. Murphy USA has a 52 week low of $267.93 and a 52 week high of $430.83.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total transaction of $503,830.60. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,564 shares in the company, valued at $8,797,249.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total transaction of $503,830.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,797,249.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 6,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,607,700.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,440 shares of company stock worth $4,244,582 over the last quarter. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective 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. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $375.00 to $425.00 in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $408.60.

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.