Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Has $381,000 Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. reduced its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 3.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 811 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 30 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $381,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA during the 1st quarter worth $40,000. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at about $59,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth about $64,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 63.5% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 18.7% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 203 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director David C. Haley purchased 1,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $435,580. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MUSA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Murphy USA from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Stephens decreased their price objective on shares of 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 dropped their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $526.29.

Murphy USA Stock Up 2.2%

Murphy USA stock opened at $433.99 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. The company has a market capitalization of $8.58 billion, a PE ratio of 18.30 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $429.92 and its 200 day moving average is $463.10. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $385.44 and a 12-month high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.19% and a net margin of 2.46%. The company had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.12 EPS. Murphy USA’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 8.44%.

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.