Intech Investment Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Intech Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in Murphy USA Inc. by 38.9% during the first quarter, now holding 6,592 shares valued at approximately $3.1 million.
• Several institutional investors increased their holdings, with GAMMA Investing LLC boosting its position by over 53,000% to own 553,906 shares worth about $260 million.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed views on Murphy USA, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $476.29, following recent changes in rating from various analysts.

Intech Investment Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 38.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,592 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 4,196 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $3,097,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MUSA. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 53,469.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 553,906 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $260,231,000 after buying an additional 552,872 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 94.0% in the first 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 in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 902.2% in the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 153,202 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $71,976,000 after acquiring an additional 137,915 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 2,594.2% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 142,038 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $66,731,000 after acquiring an additional 136,766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 61.5% in the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 252,575 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $118,662,000 after acquiring an additional 96,200 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Zacks Research upgraded Murphy USA from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $480.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 1st. 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 given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $476.29.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total transaction of $717,982.98. Following the sale, the chief operating officer 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy bought 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $367.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,835,050.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 389,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $142,830,015.72. This represents a 1.30% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.8%

Murphy USA stock opened at $390.21 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $345.23 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $7.53 billion, a PE ratio of 16.16 and a beta of 0.44. The stock's fifty day moving average is $395.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $433.43.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.63% and a net margin of 2.52%.The business had revenue of $5.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.92 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.78%.

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.

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