Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC Sells 650 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC decreased its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 42.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 875 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 650 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $411,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. CX Institutional bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at $59,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $64,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $67,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 63.5% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David C. Haley bought 1,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $435,580. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded up $5.61 on Friday, hitting $420.51. The stock had a trading volume of 125,855 shares, compared to its average volume of 227,439. The stock has a market cap of $8.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.74 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $385.44 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The business's 50 day moving average is $437.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $467.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.46% and a return on equity of 61.19%. The firm had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.79 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.12 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MUSA shares. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Stephens lowered their price target on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Raymond James Financial lowered Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Melius assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $526.29.

About Murphy USA

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.