Brown Advisory Inc. Purchases 32,605 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 36.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 121,205 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 32,605 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. owned 0.63% of Murphy USA worth $49,306,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 2,594.2% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 142,038 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $66,731,000 after acquiring an additional 136,766 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 34,898 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $14,197,000 after purchasing an additional 907 shares in the last quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 154.5% in the second quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 6,305 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,565,000 after purchasing an additional 3,828 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA by 340.7% in the second quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 7,778 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,164,000 after purchasing an additional 6,013 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at about $536,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 16,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $381.33, for a total transaction of $6,196,612.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 59,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,564,058.76. This represents a 21.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $392.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.81. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $345.23 and a 52 week high of $556.86. The firm has a market cap of $7.36 billion, a PE ratio of 16.57 and a beta of 0.40. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $377.24 and its 200-day moving average is $394.64.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.60 by $0.65. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 69.87% and a net margin of 2.43%.The company had revenue of $5.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.11 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.20 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 10.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MUSA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $405.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $480.00 to $460.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded Murphy USA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Monday. One research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $474.00.

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.