Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Shares Bought by Citigroup Inc.

Key Points

• Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 91.6% in Q1, now owning 21,268 shares worth approximately $9.99 million.
• Murphy USA announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.50 to $0.53, payable on September 4th, which represents a 0.5% dividend yield.
• Despite reporting lower revenue and earnings per share compared to the previous year, Murphy USA's recent performance includes a 1.2% increase in stock price, with a market cap of $7.59 billion.

Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 91.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,268 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 10,169 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned about 0.11% of Murphy USA worth $9,992,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MUSA. GW&K Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter worth about $27,000. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 116.7% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 65 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter worth about $40,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, CX Institutional purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter worth about $59,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded down $10.7420 on Thursday, reaching $383.4880. The company's stock had a trading volume of 230,312 shares, compared to its average volume of 368,454. The company has a market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.88 and a beta of 0.42. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $345.23 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $404.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $445.02. 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 (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.54. The business had revenue of $5.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.17 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.63% and a net margin of 2.52%.The business's revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.92 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.28%.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total value of $717,982.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 117,389 shares in the company, valued at $45,337,979.58. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director David C. Haley acquired 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $435,580. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Raymond James Financial cut Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Stephens reduced their price target on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.