Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Acquires 816 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Key Points

• Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its stake in Murphy USA Inc. by 81.9%, owning a total of 1,812 shares valued at $851,000 as of the latest SEC filing.
• Murphy USA recently reported earnings per share of $2.63, missing estimates and showing a 6.6% decrease in revenue year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, raising it slightly from the previous $0.49, resulting in a yield of 0.47%.

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 81.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,812 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 816 shares during the quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $851,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. GW&K Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Peterson Wealth Services raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 25.2% during the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 1,197 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $562,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 21.7% during the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,840 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,334,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 61.5% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 252,575 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $118,662,000 after acquiring an additional 96,200 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the first quarter valued at about $1,074,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $422.16 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $385.44 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $422.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $458.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.81 and a beta of 0.48.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.19% and a net margin of 2.46%. The company had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.12 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost 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 of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David C. Haley acquired 1,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MUSA shares. KeyCorp decreased their price target on Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Stephens reduced their target price on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $519.86.

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.

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