Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Shares Bought by Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC

Key Points

• Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. by 103.5% in the most recent quarter, bringing its total ownership to 26,441 shares, valued at approximately $10.76 million.
• In addition to Mountain Pacific, several other institutional investors, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, have significantly boosted their stakes in Murphy USA, reflecting strong hedge fund interest in the company.
• Murphy USA recently raised its quarterly dividend from $0.50 to $0.53 per share, indicating a commitment to returning value to shareholders amidst a challenging revenue environment.

Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 103.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,441 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 13,450 shares during the period. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC owned 0.13% of Murphy USA worth $10,756,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MUSA. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 442,130 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $207,717,000 after acquiring an additional 22,733 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 94.0% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 371,667 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $174,613,000 after purchasing an additional 180,055 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Murphy USA by 21.1% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 268,373 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $126,065,000 after buying an additional 46,677 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 61.5% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 252,575 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $118,662,000 after buying an additional 96,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 902.2% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 153,202 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $71,976,000 after buying an additional 137,915 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total value of $717,982.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 117,389 shares of the company's stock, valued at $45,337,979.58. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy purchased 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $367.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,835,050.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 389,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $142,830,015.72. This trade represents a 1.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $480.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Friday, September 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $483.17.

Murphy USA Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $394.94 on Thursday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $345.23 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The firm has a market cap of $7.62 billion, a PE ratio of 16.35 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a 50-day moving average of $386.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $427.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.54. The business had revenue of $5.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.17 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 64.63%. The business's revenue was down 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.92 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.78%.

About Murphy USA

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.

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