Squarepoint Ops LLC Reduces Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Squarepoint Ops LLC decreased its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 36.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 35,663 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 20,094 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Murphy USA worth $16,742,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 135.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 186 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 4.7% during the second quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 5,640 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,648,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 5.4% during the second quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 15,801 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $7,418,000 after buying an additional 814 shares during the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter worth about $799,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter worth about $94,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA opened at $497.36 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $339.96 and a twelve month high of $552.30. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $510.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $463.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.30 billion, a PE ratio of 20.87 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The specialty retailer reported $6.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.91 by $0.01. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.50% and a return on equity of 64.73%. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.02 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 24.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.36%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 13,454 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.38, for a total transaction of $6,920,468.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 382,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,971,533.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director James W. Keyes sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.54, for a total transaction of $1,023,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,114 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,242,955.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 13,454 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.38, for a total value of $6,920,468.52. Following the transaction, the director now owns 382,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $196,971,533.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 32,209 shares of company stock worth $16,564,666. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MUSA. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $415.00 to $435.00 in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $464.57.

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.