Bessemer Group Inc. Purchases 24,296 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Bessemer Group Inc. increased its Murphy USA stake by 39.1% in the first quarter, buying 24,296 additional shares and lifting its holdings to 86,420 shares worth about $42.7 million.
• Murphy USA reported strong quarterly earnings, posting $7.28 EPS versus the $5.37 consensus estimate and revenue of $4.82 billion, which topped expectations and rose 6.5% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.64 per share, while analysts remain generally positive with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $579.56.

Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 39.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 86,420 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 24,296 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. owned 0.47% of Murphy USA worth $42,689,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its position in Murphy USA by 106.7% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 423.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA by 148.5% in the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 82 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 41,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $596.96, for a total transaction of $24,773,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 342,212 shares in the company, valued at $204,286,875.52. This represents a 10.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 158 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.50, for a total transaction of $94,879.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 476 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $285,838. The trade was a 24.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 46,225 shares of company stock valued at $27,363,392. Company insiders own 9.02% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Capital One Financial began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $710.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Murphy USA from $450.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research cut Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $579.56.

Murphy USA Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of MUSA opened at $618.94 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $562.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $491.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.48. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $345.23 and a one year high of $636.04. The company has a market cap of $11.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.30.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.37 by $1.91. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 91.05% and a net margin of 2.81%.The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.63 EPS. The company's revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 32.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a $0.64 dividend. 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%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.85%.

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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