Aventail Capital Group LP Sells 7,794 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Aventail Capital Group LP decreased its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 31.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,666 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 7,794 shares during the quarter. Aventail Capital Group LP owned approximately 0.09% of Murphy USA worth $6,471,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 3.5% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 113,315 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $43,996,000 after acquiring an additional 3,855 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter worth about $360,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $581,000. Algert Global LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,782,000. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 29.9% in the 3rd quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 23,790 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $9,237,000 after purchasing an additional 5,470 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $456.67 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $345.23 and a 12-month high of $523.09. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $416.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $395.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.40.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $0.86. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 75.75% and a net margin of 2.43%.The company had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 345 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.84, for a total value of $139,669.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $142,503.68. This represents a 49.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,155 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $395.19, for a total transaction of $456,444.45. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $609,778.17. This trade represents a 42.81% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 14,970 shares of company stock worth $6,212,365 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, January 9th. They set an “underperform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an “equal weight” 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 report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Murphy USA from $467.00 to $445.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, KeyCorp set a $500.00 price target on Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $429.00.

About Murphy USA

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.