107,421 Shares in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Bought by Copeland Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Copeland Capital Management acquired 107,421 Murphy USA shares worth approximately $54.1 million, giving it a 0.58% stake. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 80.81% of the company.
• Murphy USA exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $11.27 in EPS versus the $9.95 consensus estimate and $6.81 billion in revenue, up 36% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.65 per share, while analysts maintain an average “Hold” rating and a $606.89 average price target.

Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 107,421 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $54,143,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC owned 0.58% of Murphy USA at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MUSA. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $915,734,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter valued at $78,372,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 21,322.2% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 103,041 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $55,526,000 after buying an additional 102,560 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at $49,320,000. Finally, Encompass Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at $44,457,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Eric Bartko sold 100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $523.60, for a total value of $52,360.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 252 shares in the company, valued at $131,947.20. This trade represents a 28.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total value of $552,436.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 449 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $256,774.12. The trade was a 68.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 9.02% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA opened at $522.99 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $9.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.29. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $529.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $545.92. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $349.83 and a one year high of $636.04.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32. The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.03 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 96.01%. Murphy USA's revenue was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.36 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 34.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Capital One Financial began coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $710.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $619.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $380.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $606.89.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA Inc operates a nationwide network of retail gasoline stations and convenience stores in the United States. Its stores sell branded and unbranded motor fuel, tobacco products, nicotine products, beverages, snacks, packaged food, and other convenience items. Some locations also offer additional services such as lottery products and car washes.

The company operates stores under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express brands, primarily in proximity to Walmart stores and along major roads.

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