Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC initiated a new position in Murphy USA, buying 12,600 shares in Q3 valued at about $4.89 million, equal to roughly a 0.07% stake in the company.
• Analysts' consensus on MUSA is an average "Hold" rating with an average price target of $429.00 (2 Buy, 6 Hold, 1 Sell), with recent target revisions ranging from $400 to $500.
• In the most recent quarter Murphy USA beat EPS estimates ($7.53 vs. $6.67) but missed revenue expectations ($4.74B vs. $4.88B); the company has a market cap of $8.51B, pays a $0.63 quarterly dividend (≈0.5% yield), and insiders have sold about 14,970 shares (~$6.21M) in the past 90 days.

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 12,600 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $4,892,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC owned 0.07% of Murphy USA at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 423.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 317.6% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 251.6% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 109 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American National Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the third quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on MUSA shares. KeyCorp set a $500.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Monday, December 29th. Stephens dropped their target price on Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Friday, January 9th. They issued an "underperform" rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Murphy USA from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $429.00.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $459.83 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $417.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $396.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.51 billion, a PE ratio of 18.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.40. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $345.23 and a 1-year high of $523.09.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.88 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 75.75%. The business's quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.96 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.38%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 2,844 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $388.61, for a total transaction of $1,105,206.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 3,083 shares in the company, valued at $1,198,084.63. The trade was a 47.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 137 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $422.44, for a total value of $57,874.28. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 14,970 shares of company stock valued at $6,212,365 in the last ninety days. 10.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Murphy USA

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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