Federated Hermes Inc. Decreases Stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Federated Hermes Inc. decreased its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 32.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 64,726 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 30,598 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. owned 0.31% of Murphy USA worth $30,386,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MUSA. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 0.6% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 245,220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $102,797,000 after acquiring an additional 1,519 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at $81,560,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 204,363 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $95,940,000 after buying an additional 1,560 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 1.2% during the first quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 127,160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $53,305,000 after buying an additional 1,509 shares during the period. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 1,359.6% during the second quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 93,326 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $43,813,000 after buying an additional 86,932 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE MUSA opened at $533.25 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $505.29 and its 200-day moving average is $457.46. The firm has a market cap of $10.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.38 and a beta of 0.77. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $331.46 and a 12-month high of $542.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The specialty retailer reported $6.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.91 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.73% and a net margin of 2.50%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.02 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 24.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.34%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MUSA. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com upgraded Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Raymond James boosted their target price on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $469.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 16,755 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.54, for a total value of $8,621,117.70. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 396,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $203,955,423.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Director James W. Keyes sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.54, for a total transaction of $1,023,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,114 shares in the company, valued at $8,242,955.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 16,755 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.54, for a total value of $8,621,117.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 396,384 shares in the company, valued at $203,955,423.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 32,209 shares of company stock valued at $16,564,666 in the last quarter. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.