Cwm LLC Has $4.68 Million Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Cwm LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA by 106.1% to 11,595 shares—worth about $4.68 million—while institutional investors collectively own 80.81% of the company.
• Murphy USA beat quarterly EPS estimates with $7.53 (vs. $6.67 expected) but missed revenue forecasts ($4.74B vs. $4.88B), and the company shows a high ROE (75.75%) with a market cap near $9.48 billion.
• Insiders sold 10,919 shares worth $4.49M in the last three months (insiders own 9.02%), and analyst coverage is mixed with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a $455.67 average target despite some buy/overweight and sell ratings.

Cwm LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 106.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,595 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 5,968 shares during the quarter. Cwm LLC owned 0.06% of Murphy USA worth $4,679,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 126.5% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 265 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Mustard Seed Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 136.2% in the 4th quarter. Mustard Seed Financial LLC now owns 2,515 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,015,000 after purchasing an additional 1,450 shares during the period. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,117 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $854,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 23.6% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,184 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the period. Finally, Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $225,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 137 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $422.44, for a total transaction of $57,874.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 345 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $404.84, for a total value of $139,669.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 352 shares of the company's stock, valued at $142,503.68. The trade was a 49.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 10,919 shares of company stock worth $4,490,690. Corporate insiders own 9.02% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Trading Up 3.1%

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $512.30 on Wednesday. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $345.23 and a one year high of $530.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.48 billion, a PE ratio of 21.10, a PEG ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $453.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $415.89.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.67 by $0.86. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 75.75% and a net margin of 2.43%.The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.88 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.96 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 25.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MUSA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 price target for the company. KeyCorp set a $500.00 price target on Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, January 9th. They issued an "underperform" rating for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $455.67.

About Murphy USA

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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