Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Acquired by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 29.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,671 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 6,069 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $11,180,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MUSA. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 191.7% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 394.7% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 94 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Delta Asset Management LLC TN increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 70.7% during the fourth quarter. Delta Asset Management LLC TN now owns 128 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $479.70 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market cap of $9.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.13 and a beta of 0.76. The business’s fifty day moving average is $433.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $402.89. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $282.49 and a 52 week high of $488.62.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The specialty retailer reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.97). Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 64.45%. The company had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.80 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 24.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 20th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.37%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $408.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 10,392 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $440.32, for a total value of $4,575,805.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 199,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,871,580.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 10,392 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $440.32, for a total transaction of $4,575,805.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 199,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,871,580.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $82,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 11,451 shares of company stock valued at $5,032,498. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.