Delta Global Management LP Buys Shares of 6,090 Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Delta Global Management LP opened a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter, buying 6,090 shares worth about $2.46 million.
• Murphy USA reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $7.28 beating estimates and revenue of $4.82 billion topping expectations. Revenue rose 6.5% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.64 per share, while analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $515.14.

Delta Global Management LP bought a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 6,090 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,457,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $6,874,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 14.9% in the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 22,600 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $8,775,000 after acquiring an additional 2,939 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $1,029,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 6.0% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 63,638 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $24,708,000 after acquiring an additional 3,614 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $1,333,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $585.48 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $541.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $463.49. The company has a market cap of $10.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.30. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $345.23 and a 12 month high of $636.04.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.37 by $1.91. The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. The company's revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.63 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 32.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a dividend of $0.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 158 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.50, for a total transaction of $94,879.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 476 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,838. The trade was a 24.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total transaction of $1,641,750.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 53,841 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,464,487.25. The trade was a 5.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 46,225 shares of company stock valued at $27,363,392. Insiders own 9.02% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Murphy USA from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $350.00 to $550.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $510.00 to $517.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $515.14.

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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