Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Purchased by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 4.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,899 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $796,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 14.5% during the first quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 855 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $353,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 170.6% during the first quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 20,343 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $8,528,000 after buying an additional 12,826 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 643 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 29.5% in the 1st quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 26,671 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $11,180,000 after purchasing an additional 6,069 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $1,382,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $474.70 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $9.84 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $282.49 and a 52-week high of $489.89. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $440.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $407.07.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The specialty retailer reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.97). Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 64.45%. The firm had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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 year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $470.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. One equities 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $408.60.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $82,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $82,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 10,392 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $440.32, for a total value of $4,575,805.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 199,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,871,580.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 11,451 shares of company stock valued at $5,032,498. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

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.