Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Bought by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 1,827.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,602 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 19,533 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned about 0.10% of Murphy USA worth $7,346,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 3.6% during the third quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 801 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 499 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 34.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 191.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 17.5% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 323 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $115,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target 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. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. One investment 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $408.60.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total value of $2,837,410.72. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,607,700.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,002,722.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,440 shares of company stock worth $4,244,582 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $392.44 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.56. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $268.69 and a 1 year high of $430.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.17 billion, a PE ratio of 16.47 and a beta of 0.77. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $414.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $384.99.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The specialty retailer reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.97). The business had revenue of $4.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.45% and a net margin of 2.43%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.80 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.05%.

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, as well as operates non-fuel convenience stores. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States.