145,439 Shares in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Acquired by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon acquired 145,439 Murphy USA shares worth approximately $78.4 million, giving it a 0.79% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 80.81% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.89; individual targets range from $570 to $710.
• Murphy USA exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $11.27 in EPS and $6.81 billion in revenue, while increasing its quarterly dividend to $0.65 per share.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 145,439 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $78,372,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned about 0.79% of Murphy USA at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $6,874,000. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 23.2% during the first quarter. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 146,119 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $71,986,000 after acquiring an additional 27,513 shares during the period. Evergreen Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,333,000. Millennium Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,029,000. Finally, VELA Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 45.4% in the 4th quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC now owns 9,765 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $3,940,000 after acquiring an additional 3,051 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MUSA shares. Capital One Financial assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $710.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Bank of America raised their target price on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Murphy USA from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $619.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.89.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $545.68 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $349.83 and a 1 year high of $636.04. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $575.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $521.55. The firm has a market cap of $10.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.28.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.95 by $1.32. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 96.01% and a net margin of 2.87%.The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.36 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 33.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.92%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total value of $1,641,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 53,841 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,464,487.25. The trade was a 5.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director owned 449 shares in the company, valued at $256,774.12. This represents a 68.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 9.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Murphy USA Profile

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company's primary operations center on two retail formats.

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