Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Has $67.75 Million Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 1.8% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 144,202 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,599 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $67,748,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zacks Investment Management raised its stake in Murphy USA by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 8,938 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,485,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in Murphy USA by 1.2% during the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,130 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in Murphy USA by 0.7% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,473 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,101,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL boosted its position in Murphy USA by 5.9% during the first quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL now owns 557 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Murphy USA by 18.7% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 203 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $389.13 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $345.23 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The business has a 50-day moving average of $407.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $448.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.11 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.54. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.63% and a net margin of 2.52%. The company had revenue of $5.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.92 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 8.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MUSA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Stephens reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut Murphy USA from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $476.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total value of $717,982.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 117,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,337,979.58. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David C. Haley acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $435,580. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Company Profile

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.