Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA – Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 791 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $270,000.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,918,000. Virginia Retirement Systems ET AL purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at about $52,142,000. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 76.4% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 379,886 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $106,194,000 after buying an additional 164,519 shares in the last quarter. Junto Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 123.3% during the second quarter. Junto Capital Management LP now owns 289,465 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $90,055,000 after buying an additional 159,822 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Candlestick Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at about $46,452,000. 83.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Murphy USA Price Performance
Shares of MUSA opened at $418.96 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.42 and a beta of 0.74. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $231.65 and a fifty-two week high of $421.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.56. The business’s 50-day moving average is $378.04 and its 200-day moving average is $359.23.
Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.79 by $1.21. The company had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 70.92% and a net margin of 2.59%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.21 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 25.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Murphy USA Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 23rd. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 6.59%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total transaction of $275,925.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,002,722.15. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total value of $275,925.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,002,722.15. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total transaction of $2,837,410.72. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,607,700.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,440 shares of company stock valued at $4,244,582 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $375.00 to $425.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $395.60.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on MUSA
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. 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.
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