Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Invests $12.52 Million in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Key Points

• Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Murphy USA Inc., buying 26,652 shares valued at approximately $12.5 million, representing about 0.13% ownership of the company.
• Murphy USA's quarterly earnings reported $2.63 EPS, missing expectations by $1.24, with a year-over-year revenue decline of 6.6%.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.50 per share, raising its annualized dividend yield to 0.48%.

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 26,652 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $12,521,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned 0.13% of Murphy USA at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MUSA. GW&K Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the first quarter worth $27,000. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 116.7% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 65 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the first quarter worth $40,000. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the first quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $64,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of MUSA traded down $3.50 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $358.99. 555,700 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 294,010. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $418.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $456.06. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $345.23 and a 52 week high of $561.08. The company has a market cap of $7.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.98 and a beta of 0.48.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.54. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 61.57%. The company had revenue of $5.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.92 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Stephens reduced their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $484.88.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David C. Haley bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.