Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Purchased by Impax Asset Management Group plc

Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 59.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,981 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 739 shares during the quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $931,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the first quarter worth approximately $40,000. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the first quarter worth approximately $59,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $64,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 63.5% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, Director David C. Haley purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $435,580. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 10.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on MUSA shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Melius assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp cut their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $526.29.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE:MUSA traded up $5.84 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $419.20. The stock had a trading volume of 54,450 shares, compared to its average volume of 227,490. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $434.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $465.28. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $385.44 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. The stock has a market cap of $8.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.67 and a beta of 0.48.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.87 by ($1.24). The company had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.79 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.19% and a net margin of 2.46%. Murphy USA's revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.12 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.44%.

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.