GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 103.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,943 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,007 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,591,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 317.6% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.
Murphy USA Stock Up 0.7%
Shares of MUSA stock opened at $569.26 on Wednesday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $511.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $438.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.83. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $345.23 and a twelve month high of $609.82. The company has a market capitalization of $10.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.68, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.36.
Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.63 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 31.8 EPS for the current year.
Murphy USA Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a $0.64 dividend. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.85%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,155 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $395.19, for a total value of $456,444.45. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,543 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $609,778.17. This trade represents a 42.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through 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 shares were sold at an average price of $388.61, for a total value of $1,105,206.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 3,083 shares in the company, valued at $1,198,084.63. The trade was a 47.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 47,210 shares of company stock worth $27,129,150 in the last three months. 9.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MUSA shares. Stephens cut their price target on Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Zacks Research raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Murphy USA from $560.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. One research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $503.71.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on MUSA
About Murphy USA
(
Free Report)
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.
Featured Stories
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MUSA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report).
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
Before you consider Murphy USA, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Murphy USA wasn't on the list.
While Murphy USA currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Click the link to see MarketBeat's list of seven stocks and why their long-term outlooks are very promising.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.
