Jump Financial LLC Makes New $1.16 Million Investment in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Jump Financial LLC invested $1.16 million in Murphy USA Inc., acquiring 2,473 shares during the first quarter of the year, indicating growing institutional interest in the company.
• Murphy USA's COO, Malynda K. West, sold 1,859 shares at an average price of $386.22, while Director Robert Madison Murphy purchased 5,000 shares at $367.01, reflecting insider trading activities amidst recent stock fluctuations.
• The company declared an increased quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, up from $0.50, signaling a positive outlook with a low payout ratio of 8.78% and supporting a dividend yield of 0.6%.

Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,473 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,162,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GW&K Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 116.7% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 65 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at about $40,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, CX Institutional purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at about $59,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE:MUSA traded down $4.15 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $372.35. 233,685 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 294,752. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $345.23 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The business has a 50-day moving average of $400.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $438.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a PE ratio of 15.42 and a beta of 0.44.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.54. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 64.63%. The company had revenue of $5.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.92 earnings per share. Murphy USA's revenue for the quarter was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on MUSA. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Murphy USA from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $476.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total transaction of $717,982.98. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 117,389 shares of the company's stock, valued at $45,337,979.58. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy acquired 5,000 shares of the firm'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 acquisition, the director owned 389,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $142,830,015.72. This represents a 1.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 10.12% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Company 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.