Nilsine Partners LLC Has $4.79 Million Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Nilsine Partners LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,201 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 641 shares during the period. 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 made changes to their positions in MUSA. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 852 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,130 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,000,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at $6,103,000. Sowell Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at $236,000. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 10.6% in 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Murphy USA stock traded down $9.31 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $415.90. 729,808 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 225,253. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $453.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $474.25. The firm has a market cap of $8.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.93 and a beta of 0.50. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $385.44 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued 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 in the prior year, the company posted $3.12 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.48%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 8.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MUSA shares. Melius started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens dropped their price target 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $526.29.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, Director David C. Haley bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was bought 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 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 link. 10.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Company 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.