Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP Acquires New Stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,482 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $744,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth about $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on MUSA shares. 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. Melius assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price objective on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $526.29.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUSA traded up $6.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $457.00. The stock had a trading volume of 341,903 shares, compared to its average volume of 210,019. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $424.03 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The company has a market capitalization of $9.03 billion, a PE ratio of 18.88 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $474.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $493.16.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. The firm had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.12 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Murphy USA's payout ratio is 8.44%.

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.