Whittier Trust Co. Purchases New Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Whittier Trust Co. bought a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,287 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,074,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at $40,000. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at $59,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at $64,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 63.5% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 18.7% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 203 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE:MUSA traded up $3.72 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $421.73. 212,543 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 231,396. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $385.44 and a one year high of $561.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.33 billion, a PE ratio of 17.79 and a beta of 0.48. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $424.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $461.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 EPS 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 business had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.12 earnings per share. Murphy USA's revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director David C. Haley bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $435,580. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MUSA. KeyCorp cut their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Stephens cut their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note 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 note on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $526.29.

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.