Nilsine Partners LLC Buys 641 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Nilsine Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,201 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 641 shares during the quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC owned 0.05% of Murphy USA worth $4,793,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. CX Institutional purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter worth $59,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $64,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $67,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 63.5% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 18.7% in the first 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 period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $406.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $8.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.14 and a beta of 0.50. The firm's 50-day moving average is $455.58 and its 200 day moving average is $475.93. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $385.44 and a 1 year high of $561.08.

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). The company had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.46% and a return on equity of 61.19%. Murphy USA's revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.12 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 0.49%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on MUSA shares. Stephens decreased 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. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $526.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David C. Haley acquired 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $435,580. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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