Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Shares Acquired by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 45.3% to 9,079 shares, worth $3.88 million, and institutional investors now own about 80.81% of the stock.
• Wall Street's consensus rating is Hold with an average target of $447.33 (three Buys, six Holds, one Sell), while MUSA traded around $497.53—above the consensus target.
• Murphy USA beat Q4 EPS estimates ($7.53 vs. $6.67) but slightly missed revenue expectations; the company pays a $0.63 quarterly dividend (0.5% yield) and insiders sold roughly 14,970 shares (~$6.21M) last quarter.

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 45.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,079 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 2,832 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $3,877,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in Murphy USA by 82.4% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 317.6% during the 3rd 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. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% during 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 during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 251.6% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 109 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Stephens reduced their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $467.00 to $445.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of 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. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Friday, January 9th. They issued an "underperform" rating on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $447.33.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA stock opened at $497.53 on Tuesday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $425.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $403.44. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $345.23 and a 12-month high of $523.09. 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 company has a market capitalization of $9.20 billion, a PE ratio of 20.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.40.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.88 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 75.75% and a net margin of 2.43%.Murphy USA's revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.96 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,155 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $395.19, for a total value of $456,444.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $609,778.17. The trade was a 42.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 that occurred on 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,198,084.63. The trade was a 47.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,970 shares of company stock valued at $6,212,365. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company 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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