Principal Financial Group Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 30.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 43,595 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 19,440 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.22% of Murphy USA worth $21,487,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 0.8% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 204,363 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $95,940,000 after purchasing an additional 1,560 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,332 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,034,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 191.4% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 271 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at $1,502,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 784 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $514.31 on Thursday. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $350.55 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.80. The company has a market capitalization of $10.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.22 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a fifty day moving average of $517.54 and a 200 day moving average of $502.78.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.64 by $0.56. The firm had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.54 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 62.73% and a net margin of 2.48%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.69 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.37%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on MUSA shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $495.33.

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.