Merit Financial Group LLC Makes New $1.04 Million Investment in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group opened a new position in Murphy USA in Q4, buying 2,576 shares worth about $1.04 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 80.81% of the stock.
• Company insiders have been net sellers, disposing of 10,919 shares valued at $4.49 million over the last quarter (notably SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 2,844 shares), with insiders owning 9.02% of the company.
• Operationally, Murphy USA reported a Q4 EPS of $7.53 (beating estimates) while revenue slightly missed, the firm has a market cap of $9.83 billion and recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.63 (annualized $2.52, ~0.5% yield).

Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,576 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,040,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MUSA. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 82.4% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 423.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 317.6% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, 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 transaction of $57,874.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 2,844 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $388.61, for a total value of $1,105,206.84. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,198,084.63. The trade was a 47.98% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 10,919 shares of company stock worth $4,490,690 over the last quarter. 9.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE MUSA opened at $531.28 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $461.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $418.46. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $345.23 and a 12 month high of $539.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.83 billion, a PE ratio of 21.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.67 by $0.86. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 75.75% and a net margin of 2.43%.The firm had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.96 EPS. The business's revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.32 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MUSA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Murphy USA from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on Murphy USA from $560.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $483.43.

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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