GSA Capital Partners LLP Makes New Investment in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• GSA Capital Partners acquired 8,038 Murphy USA shares worth approximately $4.33 million in the second quarter, making the stock its 20th-largest holding. Institutional investors collectively own 80.81% of Murphy USA.
• Murphy USA reported quarterly earnings of $11.27 per share, beating estimates by $1.32, while revenue rose 36% year over year to $6.81 billion. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $606.89.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.65 per share, equivalent to $2.60 annually and a 0.5% yield. Shares recently traded at $569.26, up 1.1%.

GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 8,038 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $4,331,000. Murphy USA accounts for approximately 0.3% of GSA Capital Partners LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MUSA. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 106.7% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 423.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 82.5% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 148.5% in the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 82 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 1,050 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.44, for a total value of $555,912.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 3,083 shares in the company, valued at $1,632,263.52. This trade represents a 25.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total transaction of $1,641,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 53,841 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,464,487.25. The trade was a 5.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 9.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research cut Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised Murphy USA from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. Capital One Financial initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $710.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $655.00 to $633.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.89.

Murphy USA Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE MUSA opened at $569.26 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $349.83 and a twelve month high of $636.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.51 billion, a PE ratio of 17.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.28. The stock's 50 day moving average is $578.36 and its 200 day moving average is $514.04.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32. The company had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.03 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 96.01% and a net margin of 2.87%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.36 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 33.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 7.80%.

Murphy USA Profile

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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