Federated Hermes Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Key Points

• Federated Hermes Inc. decreased its ownership in Murphy USA Inc. by 6.4%, owning approximately 0.19% of the company, valued at $17.36 million.
• Murphy USA's stock decreased by 0.1% on Friday, trading at $361.96, as it reports a decline in revenue by 8.2% year-over-year despite beating EPS estimates.
• Several analysts have downgraded their ratings and price targets for Murphy USA, with the stock currently holding an average rating of "Moderate Buy."

Federated Hermes Inc. lowered its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 6.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,949 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,520 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. owned about 0.19% of Murphy USA worth $17,359,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MUSA. GW&K Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 116.7% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 65 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. CX Institutional purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. KeyCorp dropped their price target on Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Raymond James Financial cut Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Stephens decreased 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $476.29.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE MUSA traded down $4.73 during trading on Monday, reaching $357.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 77,314 shares, compared to its average volume of 294,437. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.06 billion, a PE ratio of 14.79 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $416.84 and a 200 day moving average of $454.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $345.23 and a one year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.54. The business had revenue of $5.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.17 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.63% and a net margin of 2.52%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.92 EPS. Analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, Director David C. Haley bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 10.12% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.