Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by Callan Family Office LLC

Key Points

• Callan Family Office LLC decreased its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 43.6% in the first quarter, reducing their holdings to 2,851 shares worth approximately $1.34 million.
• Several institutional investors have increased their stakes in Murphy USA, with Independent Advisor Alliance raising its holdings by 4.9% during the same period.
• Analyst ratings for Murphy USA have been revised downwards, with a variety of price targets set between $350.00 and $530.00 and an average rating classified as "Moderate Buy."

Callan Family Office LLC cut its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 43.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,851 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,203 shares during the period. Callan Family Office LLC's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 53,469.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 553,906 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $260,231,000 after acquiring an additional 552,872 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 94.0% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 371,667 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $174,613,000 after acquiring an additional 180,055 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 61.5% in the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 252,575 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $118,662,000 after acquiring an additional 96,200 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 212,247 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $106,495,000 after acquiring an additional 41,295 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 144,973 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $72,301,000 after acquiring an additional 3,025 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total value of $717,982.98. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 117,389 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,337,979.58. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David C. Haley purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.2%

MUSA stock traded up $4.76 during trading on Friday, hitting $393.42. 177,794 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 296,344. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $407.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $448.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $345.23 and a 1 year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.54. The company had revenue of $5.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.17 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 64.63%. Murphy USA's revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.92 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MUSA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Stephens decreased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $476.29.

Murphy USA 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.