Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Purchases 46,677 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Murphy USA by 21.1%, acquiring an additional 46,677 shares, bringing its total ownership to 1.36% valued at approximately $126 million.
• Several analysts have decreased their price targets for Murphy USA, with Stephens lowering it from $530 to $475 while Wells Fargo reduced theirs from $520 to $440, all maintaining an "overweight" rating.
• Murphy USA recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.50 to $0.53 per share, demonstrating commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 21.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 268,373 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 46,677 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 1.36% of Murphy USA worth $126,065,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 4.9% during the first quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 489 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1.2% during the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,130 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 0.7% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,473 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,101,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Applied Capital LLC FL increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 5.9% during the first quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL now owns 557 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 18.7% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 203 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA traded up $0.84 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $378.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 361,835 shares, compared to its average volume of 372,712. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $403.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $441.58. 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 Inc. has a 12 month low of $345.23 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.68 and a beta of 0.42.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.54. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.63% and a net margin of 2.52%.The firm had revenue of $5.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.92 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a 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 is presently 8.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Robert Madison Murphy acquired 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $367.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,835,050.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 389,172 shares in the company, valued at $142,830,015.72. This trade represents a 1.30% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total value of $717,982.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 117,389 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,337,979.58. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MUSA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research raised Murphy USA from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Stephens decreased their price target on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.