Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Purchased by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 53,469.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 553,906 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 552,872 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 2.80% of Murphy USA worth $260,231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MUSA. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,444 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,230,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management grew its stake in Murphy USA by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 8,938 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,485,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 967 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $485,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 7,430 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $3,728,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $526.29.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.0%

MUSA traded up $0.21 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $427.34. 75,947 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 216,292. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $472.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $487.21. The firm has a market cap of $8.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.66 and a beta of 0.59. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $414.51 and a 1 year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. The company had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.12 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.44%.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, Director David C. Haley purchased 1,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $435,580. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

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.