Wells Fargo & Company Cuts Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Price Target to $550.00

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) had its target price lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $555.00 to $550.00 in a research note released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on MUSA. StockNews.com downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $510.80.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA opened at $478.80 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $508.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $506.94. Murphy USA has a 52-week low of $371.30 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The company has a market capitalization of $9.70 billion, a PE ratio of 19.79 and a beta of 0.79.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. Equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 26.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 40.4% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 186.1% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.