5,612 Shares in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Bought by Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.

Key Points

• Oppenheimer Asset Management initiated a Murphy USA position by purchasing 5,612 shares valued at approximately $3.0 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.81% of the company.
• Murphy USA exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $11.27 in EPS versus the $9.95 consensus and $6.81 billion in revenue, up 36% year over year. Analysts expect full-year EPS of $33.84.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.65 per share, implying a $2.60 annual payout and a 0.5% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $606.89.

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 5,612 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,024,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 1.2% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,625 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $876,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Kenora Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Kenora Financial LLC now owns 654 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $323,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Enhancing Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Enhancing Capital LLC now owns 1,132 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $457,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,752 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $707,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 864 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 1,050 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.44, for a total transaction of $555,912.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,083 shares in the company, valued at $1,632,263.52. This trade represents a 25.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, 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 sale, the director directly owned 53,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,464,487.25. The trade was a 5.28% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 9.02% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $569.26 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $349.83 and a fifty-two week high of $636.04. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $578.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $514.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77. The stock has a market cap of $10.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.28.

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 business had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.03 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 96.01%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 36.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.36 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 33.84 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 7.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MUSA shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $655.00 to $633.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Capital One Financial started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $710.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $550.00 to $625.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $606.89.

Murphy USA Company 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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