Amalgamated Bank reduced its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA – Free Report) by 8.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,481 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,272 shares during the quarter. Amalgamated Bank owned 0.06% of Murphy USA worth $3,479,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in Murphy USA by 1.4% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,670,297 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $533,953,000 after purchasing an additional 35,610 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 538,200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $150,448,000 after purchasing an additional 21,600 shares during the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Murphy USA by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 462,016 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $129,152,000 after purchasing an additional 70,813 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 49.1% in the first quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 441,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $113,802,000 after purchasing an additional 145,265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Murphy USA by 76.4% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 379,886 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $106,194,000 after purchasing an additional 164,519 shares during the last quarter. 85.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Murphy USA Price Performance
Shares of MUSA stock opened at $308.02 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.50, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.92. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $231.65 and a fifty-two week high of $323.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.48 and a beta of 0.82. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $294.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $274.98.
Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $4.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.18 by $0.62. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 86.87% and a net margin of 2.68%. The firm had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.08 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 20.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Murphy USA Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.38 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 12th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 5.67%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA
In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 550 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.97, for a total value of $156,183.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $816,129.78. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 1,075 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.72, for a total transaction of $298,549.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,849,892.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 550 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.97, for a total value of $156,183.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $816,129.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,628 shares of company stock valued at $455,611. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several equities analysts have issued reports on MUSA shares. StockNews.com upgraded Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Murphy USA from $325.00 to $330.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $315.60.
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. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas.
See Also
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