Evergreen Wealth Partners LLC Takes $1.33 Million Position in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Evergreen Wealth Partners opened a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter, buying 3,303 shares valued at about $1.33 million. The stake represents roughly 1.1% of Evergreen’s portfolio.
• Murphy USA reported strong quarterly earnings, posting $7.28 EPS versus analysts’ expectations of $5.37, while revenue rose 6.5% year over year to $4.82 billion. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.64 per share from $0.63.
• Wall Street sentiment remains generally positive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $503.71. Several analysts recently boosted ratings or targets, even as some insiders sold shares in recent months.

Evergreen Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of 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 and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,303 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,333,000. Murphy USA comprises about 1.1% of Evergreen Wealth Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 318.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 424,818 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $164,940,000 after buying an additional 323,331 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 676.7% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 170,215 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $69,243,000 after buying an additional 148,301 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 1,723.1% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 132,450 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $53,446,000 after buying an additional 125,185 shares during the last quarter. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 4,972.5% in the 3rd quarter. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 100,942 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $39,192,000 after buying an additional 98,952 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 66.0% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 203,064 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $78,842,000 after buying an additional 80,702 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $563.14 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $505.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $435.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $345.23 and a 12 month high of $609.82. The company has a market capitalization of $10.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.36.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.37 by $1.91. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 91.05% and a net margin of 2.81%.The company had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 31.8 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a $0.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 8.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 899 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.53, for a total value of $343,894.47. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 2,844 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $388.61, for a total value of $1,105,206.84. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,198,084.63. This represents a 47.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 46,693 shares of company stock worth $26,832,139. 9.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America raised Murphy USA from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the company from $350.00 to $550.00 in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered Murphy USA from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Stephens lowered their target price on Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $503.71.

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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