UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC Acquires 5,184 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• UBS Asset Management raised its position in Murphy USA Inc. to 61,612 shares, a 9.2% increase, representing a total holding worth approximately $28.95 million.
• Murphy USA recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, up from $0.50, reflecting an annualized yield of 0.5%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Murphy USA, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target averaging $476.29.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 9.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 61,612 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 5,184 shares during the quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned about 0.31% of Murphy USA worth $28,946,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its position in Murphy USA by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 489 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its stake in Murphy USA by 1.2% in the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,130 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,473 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,101,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL boosted its position in Murphy USA by 5.9% during the first quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL now owns 557 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Robert Madison Murphy purchased 5,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 $142,830,015.72. This trade represents a 1.30% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 owned 117,389 shares of the company's stock, valued at $45,337,979.58. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MUSA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $480.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Zacks Research raised Murphy USA from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, 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 report on Friday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $483.17.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded up $0.97 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $382.85. The company had a trading volume of 579,539 shares, compared to its average volume of 304,293. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20. The company has a market capitalization of $7.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.85 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $392.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $431.07. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $345.23 and a 1-year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.54. The firm had revenue of $5.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.17 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 64.63%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.92 EPS. As a group, 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 Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 8.78%.

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.