Encompass Capital Advisors LLC Buys New Stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Encompass Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 40,000 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $20,070,000. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC owned about 0.20% of Murphy USA at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MUSA. Barclays PLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 46.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 9,890 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,874,000 after purchasing an additional 3,135 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 69.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $211,135,000 after buying an additional 176,308 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 1,394 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $699,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% during the fourth 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. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 580.0% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 238 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $119,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 in the last three months. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA traded down $2.93 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $436.55. 430,904 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 209,083. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $475.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $494.14. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $422.66 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.04 and a beta of 0.59.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.87 by ($1.24). The company had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.79 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.12 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Murphy USA's payout ratio is 8.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MUSA. KeyCorp cut their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Stephens dropped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $526.29.

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.