Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 3,452 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors reduced its Murphy USA stake by 1.1%, selling 3,452 shares and retaining 297,306 shares worth approximately $146.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.81% of the company.
• Murphy USA reported quarterly EPS of $7.28, exceeding estimates by $1.91, while revenue rose 6.5% year over year to $4.82 billion. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.64, or $2.56 annually.
• Analyst sentiment is generally positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $585.11; however, the stock was trading near its 52-week high at $613.40. Insiders sold more than 46,000 shares worth approximately $27.4 million over the past 90 days.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lowered its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 1.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 297,306 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 3,452 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.61% of Murphy USA worth $146,867,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 106.7% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 82.5% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 148.5% in the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 82 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.0%

MUSA opened at $613.40 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.33 billion, a PE ratio of 21.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.30. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $566.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $499.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $345.23 and a 52 week 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.37 by $1.91. The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 91.05% and a net margin of 2.81%.The business's revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.63 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 32.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on MUSA. Royal Bank Of Canada upped 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 report on Thursday, April 30th. Capital One Financial started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Monday, June 22nd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $710.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Murphy USA from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $380.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $550.00 to $625.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $585.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 41,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $596.96, for a total value of $24,773,840.00. Following the sale, the director owned 342,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $204,286,875.52. The trade was a 10.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 158 shares of the company'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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 476 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,838. The trade was a 24.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 46,225 shares of company stock worth $27,363,392. Company insiders own 9.02% of the company's stock.

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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