Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. has increased its stake in Murphy USA Inc. by 1.8%, owning a total of 144,202 shares valued at approximately $67.75 million.
• Several institutional investors, including GAMMA Investing LLC and Victory Capital Management Inc., significantly boosted their positions in Murphy USA, reflecting strong institutional interest, with 80.81% of the company's stock owned by such investors.
• Murphy USA announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.50 to $0.53, indicating a positive change in shareholder returns despite a 8.2% decline in revenue year-over-year.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 144,202 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 2,599 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.73% of Murphy USA worth $67,748,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at about $241,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the first quarter worth approximately $3,683,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 21.1% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $568,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 81.9% in the 1st quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 1,812 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $851,000 after buying an additional 816 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA stock traded up $8.03 on Tuesday, reaching $398.56. 22,922 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 294,041. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $345.23 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The firm has a market cap of $7.69 billion, a PE ratio of 16.50 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $406.49 and a 200-day moving average of $446.57.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 8.28%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director David C. Haley acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy bought 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $367.01 per share, with a total value of $1,835,050.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 389,172 shares in the company, valued at $142,830,015.72. This represents a 1.30% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 10.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MUSA has been the topic of several research reports. Stephens cut their target price 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. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $476.29.

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.