IPG Investment Advisors LLC Sells 3,130 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

IPG Investment Advisors LLC cut its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,292 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 3,130 shares during the quarter. Murphy USA comprises about 1.4% of IPG Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. IPG Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $9,724,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $915,734,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at about $78,372,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at about $54,143,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its stake in Murphy USA by 21,322.2% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 103,041 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $55,526,000 after buying an additional 102,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc bought a new position in Murphy USA in the second quarter worth about $49,320,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on MUSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Bank of America upped their target price on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Murphy USA from $633.00 to $626.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Murphy USA from $612.00 to $621.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $606.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total value of $552,436.08. Following the transaction, the director owned 449 shares in the company, valued at $256,774.12. The trade was a 68.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Eric Bartko sold 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were 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 trade represents a 28.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,526 shares of company stock worth $1,869,005. 9.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $510.50 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $522.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $515.59. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $352.42 and a 12-month high of $636.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.38, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.31.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The specialty retailer reported $9.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.37 by $1.22. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 92.81% and a net margin of 2.85%. The firm had revenue of $6.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.25 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 34.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 35.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be given a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 4th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 7.29%.

Murphy USA Company 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.