HighTower Advisors LLC Has $69.50 Million Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors reduced its Murphy USA position by 13.8% in the second quarter, selling 20,657 shares and retaining 128,983 shares valued at approximately $69.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.81% of the company.
• Murphy USA reported quarterly EPS of $11.27, beating estimates of $9.95, while revenue rose 36% year over year to $6.81 billion. The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.65 per share, or $2.60 annually.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with an average price target of $606.89; however, recent insider activity included stock sales by a director and a senior vice president.

HighTower Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 13.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 128,983 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 20,657 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.70% of Murphy USA worth $69,505,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Huntington National Bank raised its position in Murphy USA by 106.7% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 423.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 82.5% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $511.16 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $570.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $529.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $349.83 and a 1-year high of $636.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.57, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.25.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 96.01%. The business had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.36 EPS. Murphy USA's quarterly revenue was up 36.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 34.7 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 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th were issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MUSA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $655.00 to $633.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 7th. 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 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $619.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research cut Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 27th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $606.89.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total value of $552,436.08. Following the sale, the director directly owned 449 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $256,774.12. This trade represents a 68.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 100 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $523.60, for a total value of $52,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 252 shares in the company, valued at $131,947.20. The trade was a 28.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 9.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Company 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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