Leeward Investments LLC MA Acquires 13,507 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Leeward Investments LLC MA boosted its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 65.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,507 shares during the quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA owned 0.18% of Murphy USA worth $17,141,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 1.2% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,625 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $876,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Kenora Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 3.3% during the first quarter. Kenora Financial LLC now owns 654 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $323,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 2.6% during the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 826 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $416,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 864 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 802 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $534.56 on Monday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $349.83 and a 12-month high of $636.04. The company has a market capitalization of $9.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $527.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $548.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $1.32. The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.03 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 96.01%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 36.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.36 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 34.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 4th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $523.60, for a total transaction of $52,360.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 252 shares in the company, valued at $131,947.20. This represents a 28.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total value of $552,436.08. Following the sale, the director directly owned 449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $256,774.12. This represents a 68.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 9.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Weiss Ratings raised Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Murphy USA from $619.00 to $612.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $550.00 to $625.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $605.33.

Murphy USA Profile

Murphy USA Inc is a U.S. operator of retail fuel and convenience stores. The company sells gasoline and diesel fuel along with tobacco products, packaged beverages, snacks, candy, grocery items, general merchandise and other convenience products. Many locations also offer prepared food and related services.

The company operates stores under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express brands, with a network concentrated primarily in the Southern, Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Murphy USA locations are commonly situated near Walmart stores, while Murphy Express sites generally operate as standalone convenience stores.