57,060 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Bought by TrinityBridge Ltd

Key Points

• TrinityBridge Ltd. acquired 57,060 Murphy USA shares in the third quarter, worth about $28.8 million and representing roughly 0.31% of the company.
• Murphy USA reported quarterly EPS of $9.59, beating analysts’ $8.37 estimate, while revenue of $6.89 billion also topped forecasts and rose 34.8% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend from $0.65 to $0.72 per share. Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $606.33.

TrinityBridge Ltd bought a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 57,060 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $28,773,000. Murphy USA makes up about 0.8% of TrinityBridge Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. TrinityBridge Ltd owned about 0.31% of Murphy USA at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MUSA. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 1.2% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,625 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $876,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 826 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $416,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 802 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $433,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 82.5% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, Applied Capital LLC FL lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL now owns 1,926 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $971,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of MUSA opened at $510.50 on Wednesday. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $352.42 and a fifty-two week high of $636.04. The company's fifty day moving average is $522.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $515.59. The firm has a market cap of $9.24 billion, a PE ratio of 14.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The specialty retailer reported $9.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.37 by $1.22. The business had revenue of $6.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.25 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 92.81% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 34.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.25 EPS. Analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 35.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.72 per share. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 4th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 7.29%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other 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 directly owned 252 shares in the company, valued at $131,947.20. This trade represents a 28.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total value of $552,436.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 449 shares in the company, valued at $256,774.12. This represents a 68.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,526 shares of company stock valued at $1,869,005. 9.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MUSA. Weiss Ratings raised Murphy USA from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Murphy USA from $612.00 to $621.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $606.33.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA Inc is a U.S. operator of retail fuel and convenience stores. The company sells gasoline and diesel fuel along with tobacco products, packaged beverages, snacks, candy, grocery items, general merchandise and other convenience products. Many locations also offer prepared food and related services.

The company operates stores under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express brands, with a network concentrated primarily in the Southern, Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Murphy USA locations are commonly situated near Walmart stores, while Murphy Express sites generally operate as standalone convenience stores.

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