Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Shares Sold by Baird Financial Group Inc.

Baird Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 2.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 105,136 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,146 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned 0.55% of Murphy USA worth $42,769,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 1,925.0% in the 2nd quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 81 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, WD Rutherford LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 24,733 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $381.33, for a total value of $9,431,434.89. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 131,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,963,381.92. This trade represents a 15.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $398.38 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $377.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $395.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.80 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $345.23 and a 52-week high of $556.86.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.60 by $0.65. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 69.87% and a net margin of 2.43%.The business had revenue of $5.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.20 earnings per share. Murphy USA’s revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 10.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $405.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Monday. KeyCorp cut their target price on Murphy USA from $480.00 to $460.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research raised Murphy USA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $474.00.

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, as well as operates non-fuel convenience stores. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States.