1,377 Shares in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Acquired by TMB Capital Partners LLC

TMB Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,377 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $556,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 106.7% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 423.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $550.85 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24. The stock has a market cap of $10.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.30. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $544.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $467.28. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $345.23 and a 1-year high of $636.04.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.37 by $1.91. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. The company had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.63 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 32.32 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $0.64 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.85%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 41,500 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $596.96, for a total transaction of $24,773,840.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 342,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $204,286,875.52. This trade represents a 10.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 1,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $529.44, for a total value of $555,912.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,083 shares in the company, valued at $1,632,263.52. The trade was a 25.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 46,225 shares of company stock worth $27,363,392. Company insiders own 9.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MUSA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $450.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $515.14.

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.