Entropy Technologies LP Buys Shares of 2,800 Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Key Points

• Entropy Technologies LP recently invested approximately $1.32 million in Murphy USA Inc., acquiring 2,800 shares during the first quarter.
• Murphy USA reported $7.36 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, but its revenue decreased by 8.2% compared to the previous year.
• Institutional investors hold approximately 80.81% of Murphy USA's stock, indicating strong institutional interest in the company.

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 2,800 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,315,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 53,469.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 553,906 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $260,231,000 after buying an additional 552,872 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Murphy USA by 94.0% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 371,667 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $174,613,000 after acquiring an additional 180,055 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Murphy USA by 61.5% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 252,575 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $118,662,000 after acquiring an additional 96,200 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Murphy USA by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 212,247 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $106,495,000 after acquiring an additional 41,295 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 144,973 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $72,301,000 after acquiring an additional 3,025 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of MUSA traded up $4.76 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $393.42. 177,794 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 371,033. The stock has a market cap of $7.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29 and a beta of 0.42. The stock's 50-day moving average is $406.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $448.07. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $345.23 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.92 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 8.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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. Stephens reduced their price objective 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 cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $476.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert Madison Murphy acquired 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $367.01 per share, with a total value of $1,835,050.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 389,172 shares in the company, valued at $142,830,015.72. This trade represents a 1.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David C. Haley acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $435,580. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Murphy USA 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.