19,111 Shares in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Purchased by Primecap Management Co. CA

Primecap Management Co. CA bought a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 19,111 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $10,298,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 106.7% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 423.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 82.5% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Trading Down 2.3%

NYSE:MUSA opened at $532.05 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $574.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $522.50. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $349.83 and a 12 month high of $636.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77. The stock has a market cap of $9.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.28.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 96.01%. The company had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.36 earnings per share. Murphy USA’s quarterly revenue was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 33.84 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 7.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MUSA shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Capital One Financial initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Monday, June 22nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $710.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $619.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total value of $552,436.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 449 shares in the company, valued at $256,774.12. This trade represents a 68.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total value of $1,641,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 53,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,464,487.25. The trade was a 5.28% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 9.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Profile

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.