Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Shares Purchased by Horrell Capital Management Inc.

Horrell Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 2.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,427 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 597 shares during the period. Murphy USA makes up approximately 4.5% of Horrell Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Horrell Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of Murphy USA worth $11,157,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 94.0% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 371,667 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $174,613,000 after buying an additional 180,055 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Murphy USA by 902.2% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 153,202 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $71,976,000 after acquiring an additional 137,915 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 2,594.2% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 142,038 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $66,731,000 after acquiring an additional 136,766 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Murphy USA by 61.5% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 252,575 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $118,662,000 after acquiring an additional 96,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 2,283.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 69,797 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,393,000 after purchasing an additional 66,869 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Zacks Research upgraded Murphy USA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. KeyCorp decreased 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 note on Thursday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $405.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, August 1st. One investment 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $474.00.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $357.25 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $380.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $405.69. The company has a market capitalization of $6.69 billion, a PE ratio of 15.07 and a beta of 0.39. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $345.23 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.60 by $0.65. The firm had revenue of $5.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.11 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 69.87%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.20 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.63%.

About Murphy USA

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.