Park Avenue Securities LLC Has $1.27 Million Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 5.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,697 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,267,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth about $64,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $67,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $147,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 144.2% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 293 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $147,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, Director David C. Haley bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $435,580. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $414.39 on Thursday. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $406.94 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $465.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $482.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $8.19 billion, a PE ratio of 17.12 and a beta of 0.50.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. The business had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.12 earnings per share. Murphy USA’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Stephens cut their price target on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Melius began coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. KeyCorp reduced their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen cut Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Raymond James downgraded Murphy USA from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $526.29.

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.