Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. Purchases 22,733 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Murphy USA Inc. by 5.4%, increasing its holdings to 442,130 shares, valued at approximately $207.7 million.
• Murphy USA announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.50 to $0.53 per share, reflecting a strong commitment to returning value to shareholders.
• The company's recent earnings surpassed expectations with $7.36 EPS reported, though revenue showed a decline of 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 5.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 442,130 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 22,733 shares during the quarter. Murphy USA comprises 0.8% of Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 2.23% of Murphy USA worth $207,717,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 4.9% in the first quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 489 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 1.2% in the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,130 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 0.7% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,473 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,101,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 5.9% in the first quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL now owns 557 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 18.7% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 203 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE:MUSA traded down $1.6730 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $394.5470. The company had a trading volume of 154,858 shares, compared to its average volume of 370,323. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $405.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $445.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.61 billion, a PE ratio of 16.34 and a beta of 0.42. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $345.23 and a one year high of $561.08.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Raymond James Financial cut Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Stephens lowered their price target on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $476.29.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director David C. Haley bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $435,580. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy bought 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the director directly owned 389,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $142,830,015.72. The trade was a 1.30% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA 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.