Brant Point Investment Management LLC Makes New $1.86 Million Investment in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Brant Point Investment Management LLC has acquired a new stake in Murphy USA Inc., purchasing 3,951 shares valued at approximately $1.86 million during the first quarter.
• Murphy USA has received mixed analyst ratings, with changes including a downgrade from Stephens from a price target of $530.00 to $475.00 and Wells Fargo lowering its target to $440.00.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.53, with a payment date set for September 4th, reflecting a growth from its previous dividend of $0.50.

Brant Point Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,951 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,856,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at approximately $241,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the first quarter worth approximately $40,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the first quarter worth approximately $3,683,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its position 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 in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.5%

MUSA traded up $1.94 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $376.32. 219,027 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 318,278. The firm's fifty day moving average is $401.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $439.69. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $345.23 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20. The company has a market cap of $7.26 billion, a PE ratio of 15.58 and a beta of 0.42.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.78%.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total transaction of $717,982.98. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 117,389 shares in the company, valued at $45,337,979.58. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy purchased 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $367.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,835,050.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 389,172 shares in the company, valued at $142,830,015.72. This trade represents a 1.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on MUSA. Wall Street Zen lowered Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Stephens decreased their price target on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Zacks Research raised Murphy USA from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $476.29.

Murphy USA Company 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.