CCM Investment Group LLC Acquires New Shares in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Key Points

• CCM Investment Group LLC bought 1,466 shares of Murphy USA Inc. for approximately $675,000, marking a further investment interest in the specialty retailer during the first quarter.
• Murphy USA reported earnings per share (EPS) of $7.36 for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations but showing an 8.2% year-over-year revenue decline.
• Several analysts have revised their price targets for Murphy USA, with Wells Fargo lowering theirs from $520 to $440 while maintaining an "overweight" rating on the stock.

CCM Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,466 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $675,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the first quarter worth approximately $241,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the first quarter worth approximately $40,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the first quarter worth approximately $3,683,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 21.1% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $568,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the period. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 81.9% during the first quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 1,812 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $851,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA stock traded up $3.16 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $391.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 65,076 shares, compared to its average volume of 295,580. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $407.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $448.76. The company has a market capitalization of $7.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.24 and a beta of 0.42. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $345.23 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.54. The firm had revenue of $5.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.17 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.63% and a net margin of 2.52%. The company's revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.92 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director David C. Haley bought 1,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $435,580. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total value of $717,982.98. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 117,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,337,979.58. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Stephens reduced their price target on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their price target on Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $476.29.

Murphy USA Profile

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.