AQR Capital Management LLC Has $66.49 Million Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 141,637 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,635 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.68% of Murphy USA worth $66,493,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MUSA. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 245,220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $102,797,000 after purchasing an additional 1,519 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted 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 valued at $95,940,000 after buying an additional 1,560 shares during the period. 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 worth $53,305,000 after buying an additional 1,509 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Murphy USA by 14.6% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 97,011 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $45,543,000 after acquiring an additional 12,336 shares during the period. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 1,359.6% in the 2nd quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 93,326 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $43,813,000 after acquiring an additional 86,932 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $499.59 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.96 and a beta of 0.77. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $339.96 and a 12-month high of $552.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $509.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $463.66.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The specialty retailer reported $6.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.91 by $0.01. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.73% and a net margin of 2.50%. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.02 EPS. Murphy USA’s revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 24.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.55%.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA 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 transaction of $8,621,117.70. Following the sale, the director now owns 396,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $203,955,423.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director James W. Keyes sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.54, for a total value of $1,023,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 16,114 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,242,955.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 16,755 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 396,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $203,955,423.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 32,209 shares of company stock worth $16,564,666. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MUSA shares. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $464.57.

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.