Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Stock Position Cut by Nisa Investment Advisors LLC

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,621 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,061 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $4,345,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 61.9% in the 3rd quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 641 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $323,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $339,000. Sanders Morris Harris LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $857,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,143,000. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Murphy USA by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 826 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE MUSA opened at $534.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.92. The company has a market capitalization of $9.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.29. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $527.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $547.86. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $349.83 and a one year high of $636.04.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 96.01%. The business had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.36 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 36.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 34.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 4th will be paid a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 4th. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 7.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MUSA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $380.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Murphy USA from $633.00 to $626.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $550.00 to $625.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $619.00 to $612.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $605.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $523.60, for a total transaction of $52,360.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,947.20. This trade represents a 28.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total value of $552,436.08. Following the sale, the director directly owned 449 shares in the company, valued at $256,774.12. This trade represents a 68.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 9.02% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA Inc is a U.S. operator of retail fuel and convenience stores. The company sells gasoline and diesel fuel along with tobacco products, packaged beverages, snacks, candy, grocery items, general merchandise and other convenience products. Many locations also offer prepared food and related services.

The company operates stores under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express brands, with a network concentrated primarily in the Southern, Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Murphy USA locations are commonly situated near Walmart stores, while Murphy Express sites generally operate as standalone convenience stores.