Swiss National Bank Sells 1,100 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Swiss National Bank decreased its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 2.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,267 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 1,100 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.19% of Murphy USA worth $17,508,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MUSA. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA by 53,469.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 553,906 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $260,231,000 after purchasing an additional 552,872 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Murphy USA by 61.5% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 252,575 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $118,662,000 after purchasing an additional 96,200 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 363.2% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 54,471 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,331,000 after purchasing an additional 42,712 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 24.2% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Encompass Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at $20,070,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:MUSA traded down $3.07 on Monday, hitting $390.60. The stock had a trading volume of 39,443 shares, compared to its average volume of 294,680. The business's fifty day moving average is $406.95 and its 200 day moving average is $447.37. The company has a market cap of $7.53 billion, a PE ratio of 16.16 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $345.23 and a 52 week high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.54. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 64.63%. The firm had revenue of $5.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.17 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.92 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS 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. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 8.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David C. Haley acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 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 legal 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 transaction of $717,982.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 117,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,337,979.58. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MUSA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Stephens decreased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $476.29.

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.