Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Raises Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its shareholding in Murphy USA Inc. by 35,700.0%, acquiring a total of 6,802 shares valued at approximately $2.77 million.
• Murphy USA's latest quarterly earnings report revealed an EPS of $7.36, exceeding expectations, despite an 8.2% year-over-year revenue decline.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53, raising its annualized dividend to $2.12, signifying a yield of 0.6%.

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 35,700.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,802 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 6,783 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 2,594.2% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 142,038 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $66,731,000 after purchasing an additional 136,766 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at $241,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter worth about $3,683,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 21.1% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $568,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $377.69 on Thursday. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $345.23 and a one year high of $561.08. The company's 50-day moving average is $384.42 and its 200 day moving average is $422.69. The company has a market capitalization of $7.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.64 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.80.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MUSA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, August 1st. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $480.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $405.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $477.33.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total transaction of $717,982.98. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 117,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,337,979.58. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $367.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,835,050.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 389,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $142,830,015.72. This trade represents a 1.30% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Murphy USA

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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