Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Has $10.24 Million Stake in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Mawer Investment Management cut its Murphy USA stake by 35.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 13,852 shares and ending with 25,365 shares valued at about $10.24 million.
• Murphy USA reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $7.28 beating estimates and revenue of $4.82 billion topping expectations, while quarterly revenue rose 6.5% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.64 per share, and analysts currently have a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target price of $503.71.

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lowered its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 35.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,365 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 13,852 shares during the period. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned about 0.14% of Murphy USA worth $10,235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 10.2% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $792,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 423.1% in the 2nd 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 period. Cresset Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $603,000. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at $596,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at $227,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $516.33 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $524.90 and a 200-day moving average of $449.36. The company has a market cap of $9.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $345.23 and a 52 week high of $609.82.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.37 by $1.91. The company had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. Murphy USA's quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 31.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.64 per share. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 8.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MUSA. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Bank of America raised Murphy USA from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $350.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised Murphy USA from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Murphy USA from $450.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Murphy USA from $510.00 to $517.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $503.71.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 517 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $574.49, for a total value of $297,011.33. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $287,245. This represents a 50.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 158 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.50, for a total value of $94,879.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 476 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $285,838. This represents a 24.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 43,362 shares of company stock valued at $25,779,517. 9.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA 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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