Deutsche Bank AG Sells 5,088 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank AG reduced its stake in Murphy USA Inc. by 30.4%, selling 5,088 shares in the first quarter, leaving it with approximately 11,664 shares valued at $5.48 million.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on Murphy USA, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $476.29, despite some recent downgrades from various research firms.
• Murphy USA recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.50 to $0.53 per share, appealing to shareholders with an annualized yield of 0.5%.

Deutsche Bank AG lessened its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 30.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,664 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 5,088 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned about 0.06% of Murphy USA worth $5,480,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 1,171 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $588,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 213.5% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 31,008 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $15,559,000 after buying an additional 21,118 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 6,873 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,448,000 after buying an additional 486 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth about $1,606,000. Finally, Commerce Bank increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,724 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,367,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director David C. Haley purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE:MUSA traded down $10.7420 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $383.4880. 230,312 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 368,454. The business's 50-day moving average price is $404.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $445.02. The company has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a PE ratio of 15.88 and a beta of 0.42. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $345.23 and a 12-month high of $561.08. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.54. The company had revenue of $5.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 for the quarter was down 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.92 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MUSA. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, August 1st. Stephens reduced their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price 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. KeyCorp reduced their target price 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One research 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $476.29.

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.