Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD Has $91.15 Million Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Price T Rowe Associates Inc. has reduced its stake in Murphy USA Inc. by 15.3%, now holding 194,001 shares worth approximately $91.15 million, according to recent SEC filings.
• Murphy USA recently declared a dividend increase to $0.53 per share, with the dividend payout ratio at 8.28%, highlighting the company's commitment to returning value to shareholders.
• Analyst ratings for Murphy USA show a consensus rating of Moderate Buy, with price targets varying from $350.00 to $480.00 following recent changes in evaluations by multiple research firms.

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lessened its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 15.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 194,001 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 35,111 shares during the quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned 0.98% of Murphy USA worth $91,145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $1,800,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $400,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $64,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $147,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 212,247 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $106,495,000 after purchasing an additional 41,295 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Robert Madison Murphy purchased 5,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $367.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,835,050.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 389,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $142,830,015.72. This trade represents a 1.30% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total value of $717,982.98. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 117,389 shares of the company's stock, valued at $45,337,979.58. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 10.12% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $373.3420 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.46 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a 50-day moving average of $404.11 and a 200-day moving average of $442.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.39. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $345.23 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.54. The company had revenue of $5.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.17 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.63% and a net margin of 2.52%.Murphy USA's revenue for the quarter was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.92 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 8.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on MUSA. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Zacks Research raised Murphy USA from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Raymond James Financial downgraded Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price target on Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $476.29.

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.

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