5,036 Shares in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Bought by OP Asset Management Ltd

OP Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 5,036 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,488,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MUSA. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 423.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA opened at $524.87 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $549.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $472.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $345.23 and a 1 year high of $636.04. The stock has a market cap of $9.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.14, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.30.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.37 by $1.91. The company had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 91.05% and a net margin of 2.81%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.63 EPS. Analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 32.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a $0.64 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 1,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.44, for a total transaction of $555,912.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,632,263.52. This trade represents a 25.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total transaction of $1,641,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 53,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,464,487.25. This trade represents a 5.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 46,225 shares of company stock valued at $27,363,392. 9.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Capital One Financial began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $710.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $450.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America upgraded shares of Murphy USA from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $350.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $539.50.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company’s primary operations center on two retail formats.