SummitTX Capital L.P. Purchases New Stake in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• SummitTX Capital acquired 3,958 shares of Murphy USA worth approximately $1.96 million during the first quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 80.81% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $585.11; individual targets range as high as $710.
• Murphy USA reported quarterly EPS of $7.28, well above the $5.37 estimate, while revenue rose 6.5% year over year to $4.82 billion. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.64 per share.

SummitTX Capital L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,958 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,955,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. WPG Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 148.5% in the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 82 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Capital One Financial initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $710.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Murphy USA from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $585.11.

Murphy USA Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE:MUSA opened at $600.98 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.10 billion, a PE ratio of 20.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $345.23 and a 52-week high of $636.04. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $568.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $502.09.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.37 by $1.91. The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. The firm's revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.63 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 32.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 41,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $596.96, for a total transaction of $24,773,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 342,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $204,286,875.52. This trade represents a 10.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total transaction of $1,641,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 53,841 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,464,487.25. This trade represents a 5.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 46,225 shares of company stock valued at $27,363,392. 9.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company's primary operations center on two retail formats.

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