Hancock Whitney Corp Has $2.04 Million Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Hancock Whitney Corp reduced its stake in Murphy USA Inc. by 14.6%, owning 4,351 shares worth $2.04 million after selling 741 shares in Q1.
• Murphy USA's latest earnings report showed an EPS of $7.36, surpassing estimates, despite an 8.2% year-over-year revenue decline to $5.01 billion.
• Wall Street analysts have a mixed outlook on Murphy USA, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $476.29 amid recent downgrades and target reductions.

Hancock Whitney Corp lowered its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 14.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,351 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 741 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,044,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 53,469.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 553,906 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $260,231,000 after acquiring an additional 552,872 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 94.0% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 371,667 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $174,613,000 after acquiring an additional 180,055 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 902.2% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 153,202 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $71,976,000 after purchasing an additional 137,915 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 61.5% in the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 252,575 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $118,662,000 after acquiring an additional 96,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 1st quarter worth $30,968,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total value of $717,982.98. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 117,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,337,979.58. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy acquired 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $367.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,835,050.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 389,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $142,830,015.72. This trade represents a 1.30% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 10.12% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Trading Down 4.2%

Shares of MUSA stock traded down $16.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $374.89. 145,274 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 293,188. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $345.23 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $397.38 and a 200 day moving average of $435.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20. The firm has a market cap of $7.23 billion, a PE ratio of 15.52 and a beta of 0.44.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Murphy USA from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $480.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Friday, September 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $476.29.

About Murphy USA

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.