Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Raises Stake in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 14.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,939 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.12% of Murphy USA worth $8,775,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 4.8% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 585 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Verus Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 568 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,282 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $498,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,739 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,452,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 1,215 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $472,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Trading Up 4.7%

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $438.02 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $345.23 and a 52-week high of $523.09. The stock has a market cap of $8.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.04, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $412.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $393.68.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $0.86. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.88 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 75.75%. Murphy USA’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.96 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 10.38%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,155 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $395.19, for a total value of $456,444.45. Following the sale, the director owned 1,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $609,778.17. This trade represents a 42.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Malynda K. West sold 3,967 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $1,785,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 117,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,825,050. The trade was a 3.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 14,833 shares of company stock valued at $6,154,491 in the last quarter. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on MUSA. KeyCorp set a $500.00 price target on Murphy USA in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Stephens cut their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Murphy USA from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Friday, January 9th. They set an “underperform” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $457.50.

Murphy USA Profile

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company’s primary operations center on two retail formats.