Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Acquired by Narwhal Capital Management

Narwhal Capital Management lifted its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 98.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,413 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 6,659 shares during the period. Narwhal Capital Management owned about 0.07% of Murphy USA worth $6,302,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at $59,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at about $64,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at about $67,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in Murphy USA by 18.7% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 203 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Melius assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens reduced 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. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $526.29.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director David C. Haley purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:MUSA traded up $3.75 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $408.26. 323,738 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 226,604. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $385.44 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The business has a 50-day moving average of $447.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $472.51. The company has a market capitalization of $8.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.22 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.12 EPS. Murphy USA's revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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