SG Americas Securities LLC Reduces Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 23.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 432 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $691,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mather Group LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 141.4% in the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 777.8% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 79 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the first quarter worth about $69,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 82.1% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 173 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $94,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA opened at $490.03 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $505.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $469.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.84. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $350.55 and a 1 year high of $552.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.15 billion, a PE ratio of 20.56 and a beta of 0.77.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 2.50% and a return on equity of 64.73%. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.02 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 24.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.37%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 7.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MUSA has been the subject of several research reports. Raymond James lifted their target price 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. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $415.00 to $435.00 in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered 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 research note on Thursday, August 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $464.57.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 13,454 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.38, for a total transaction of $6,920,468.52. Following the sale, the director now owns 382,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $196,971,533.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Murphy USA news, Director James W. Keyes sold 2,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director now owns 16,114 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,242,955.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 13,454 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.38, for a total value of $6,920,468.52. Following the transaction, the director now owns 382,930 shares in the company, valued at $196,971,533.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 32,209 shares of company stock valued at $16,564,666. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.