Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Position Trimmed by Truist Financial Corp

Truist Financial Corp decreased its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,711 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 624 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,749,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Headinvest LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $138,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $1,925,000. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 40.6% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 31,087 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,623,000 after purchasing an additional 8,972 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 1.9% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 164,400 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $56,180,000 after purchasing an additional 2,996 shares during the period. Finally, K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $2,532,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $408.60.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE MUSA opened at $412.92 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.33 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.87. The business’s fifty day moving average is $414.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $385.72. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $268.69 and a 1 year high of $430.83.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The specialty retailer reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.97). The company had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 64.45%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.80 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.41%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 7.05%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total value of $275,925.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,002,722.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total value of $503,830.60. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 21,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,797,249.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total value of $275,925.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,002,722.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,645 shares of company stock worth $4,326,582. 9.73% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.