Argent Capital Management LLC Sells 3,780 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Argent Capital Management reduced its Murphy USA stake by 3.0%, selling 3,780 shares and retaining 120,234 shares worth approximately $59.4 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.81% of the company.
• Murphy USA reported quarterly EPS of $7.28, beating estimates of $5.37, while revenue rose 6.5% year over year to $4.82 billion. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.64 per share.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $596.44; price targets range from $550 to $680, while the stock recently traded at $608.99.

Argent Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 3.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 120,234 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 3,780 shares during the period. Murphy USA makes up about 1.9% of Argent Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Argent Capital Management LLC owned 0.65% of Murphy USA worth $59,392,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA by 149.9% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 507,418 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $204,753,000 after acquiring an additional 304,354 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 506,214 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $204,267,000 after purchasing an additional 7,973 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in Murphy USA by 45.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 318,473 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $128,511,000 after purchasing an additional 99,798 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Murphy USA by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 300,758 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $121,365,000 after purchasing an additional 1,930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in Murphy USA by 676.7% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 170,215 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $69,243,000 after buying an additional 148,301 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $608.99 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.25 billion, a PE ratio of 21.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $345.23 and a 1 year high of $636.04. The firm's 50-day moving average is $571.98 and its 200-day moving average is $505.47.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.37 by $1.91. The company had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. Murphy USA's revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 32.58 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $0.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is 8.85%.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 517 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $574.49, for a total transaction of $297,011.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $287,245. The trade was a 50.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 41,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $596.96, for a total value of $24,773,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 342,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $204,286,875.52. This trade represents a 10.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 46,225 shares of company stock worth $27,363,392. Corporate insiders own 9.02% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MUSA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $619.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $380.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 27th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $596.44.

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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