Eric Bartko Sells 100 Shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) SVP Eric Bartko sold 100 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were 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 represents a 28.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $511.16 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $571.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $528.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.92. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $349.83 and a one year high of $636.04. The firm has a market cap of $9.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.25.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.95 by $1.32. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 96.01%. The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.36 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 34.7 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.92%.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in Murphy USA by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 423.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 82.5% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MUSA shares. Weiss Ratings cut Murphy USA from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $619.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Capital One Financial started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $710.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $655.00 to $633.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $606.89.

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.