Impax Asset Management Group plc Grows Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 59.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,981 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 739 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $931,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Zacks Investment Management raised its position in Murphy USA by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 8,938 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,485,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in Murphy USA by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,130 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,000,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Murphy USA by 18.7% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 203 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. NDVR Inc. raised its position in Murphy USA by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. NDVR Inc. now owns 715 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $359,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vista Finance LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Vista Finance LLC now owns 621 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $292,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA stock traded up $3.76 during trading on Thursday, hitting $427.68. The stock had a trading volume of 242,288 shares, compared to its average volume of 228,468. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.39. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $385.44 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.04 and a beta of 0.48. The company's 50-day moving average price is $432.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $465.00.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.44%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director David C. Haley acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $435,580. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Stephens decreased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $526.29.

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.