Trek Financial LLC Grows Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Trek Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 85.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,496 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,150 shares during the quarter. Trek Financial LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $644,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 89.8% in the 1st quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 6,453 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,665,000 after buying an additional 3,054 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at about $750,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Murphy USA by 27.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 89,551 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $23,109,000 after purchasing an additional 19,026 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its position in Murphy USA by 10.2% during the 1st quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 12,962 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,345,000 after purchasing an additional 1,197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Murphy USA by 15.9% during the 1st quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,716 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $443,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. 83.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 18,971 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $314.40, for a total value of $5,964,482.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,203,111.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Murphy USA news, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.31, for a total transaction of $211,617.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 18,971 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $314.40, for a total transaction of $5,964,482.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,203,111.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 70,815 shares of company stock worth $22,153,785 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on MUSA shares. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $362.00 to $360.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.60.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $312.82 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $311.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $285.82. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $231.65 and a twelve month high of $323.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $6.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.09 by ($0.07). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 80.20% and a net margin of 2.59%. The business had revenue of $5.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.61 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 21.44 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 28th were paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 25th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 6.16%.

Murphy USA 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. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas.