Millennium Capital Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 2,549 Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Millennium Capital Advisors opened a new position in Murphy USA, buying 2,549 shares worth about $1.03 million in the fourth quarter.
• Murphy USA posted strong quarterly results, reporting earnings of $7.28 per share versus expectations of $5.37 and revenue of $4.82 billion, which topped estimates and rose 6.5% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.64 per share from $0.63, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $503.71.

Millennium Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 2,549 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,029,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 317.6% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $563.14 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $505.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $435.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.83. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $345.23 and a fifty-two week high of $609.82. The company has a market capitalization of $10.40 billion, a PE ratio of 19.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.36.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.37 by $1.91. The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion during 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%. The company's revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.63 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 31.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.64 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on MUSA. Zacks Research upgraded Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price 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. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Stephens decreased their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One research 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $503.71.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,155 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $395.19, for a total transaction of $456,444.45. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,543 shares in the company, valued at $609,778.17. This represents a 42.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 899 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.53, for a total value of $343,894.47. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 46,693 shares of company stock valued at $26,832,139 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 9.02% of the company's stock.

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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