HighTower Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA Inc. by 1.5%, holding approximately $67.92 million worth of shares, representing about 0.73% of the company.
• Insider transactions include Director David C. Haley purchasing 1,000 shares at $435.58 each and Director Robert Madison Murphy buying 5,000 shares at $367.01 each, signaling confidence in the company.
• Analysts have recently adjusted their price targets for Murphy USA, with the consensus now being $476.29, indicating a Moderate Buy rating for the stock.

HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 1.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 144,564 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 2,142 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 0.73% of Murphy USA worth $67,917,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 489 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management raised its stake in Murphy USA by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 8,938 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,485,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,130 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,000,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,473 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,101,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Applied Capital LLC FL lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL now owns 557 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, August 1st. Stephens reduced their target price on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their target price on Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $476.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Robert Madison Murphy purchased 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $367.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,835,050.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 389,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $142,830,015.72. This represents a 1.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total value of $717,982.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 117,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,337,979.58. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Murphy USA Trading Up 1.2%

Murphy USA stock traded up $4.76 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $393.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 177,794 shares, compared to its average volume of 371,033. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.59 billion, a PE ratio of 16.29 and a beta of 0.42. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $345.23 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20. The stock's fifty day moving average is $406.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $447.75.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is 8.28%.

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.