Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by Exchange Traded Concepts LLC

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lessened its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 77.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,765 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 6,149 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $829,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,076 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Vista Finance LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Vista Finance LLC now owns 621 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $292,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,538 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,663,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in Murphy USA by 18.7% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 203 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, CX Institutional acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Trading Up 1.8%

NYSE MUSA opened at $407.28 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $385.44 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. The company has a market capitalization of $8.05 billion, a PE ratio of 17.18 and a beta of 0.50. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $457.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $476.86.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 8.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MUSA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stephens cut their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note 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 given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $526.29.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director David C. Haley bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $435,580. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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