Man Group plc purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 91,525 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $49,320,000.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the second quarter worth $915,734,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 149.9% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 507,418 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $204,753,000 after acquiring an additional 304,354 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 506,214 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $204,267,000 after purchasing an additional 7,973 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in Murphy USA by 45.6% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 318,473 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $128,511,000 after purchasing an additional 99,798 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 300,758 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $121,365,000 after purchasing an additional 1,930 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Murphy USA Trading Down 2.3%
Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $532.05 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $574.77 and a 200 day moving average of $522.50. The company has a market cap of $9.83 billion, a PE ratio of 16.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $349.83 and a 12-month high of $636.04.
Murphy USA Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.92%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA
In related news, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total value of $1,641,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 53,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,464,487.25. This represents a 5.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $256,774.12. This represents a 68.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 9.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research firms have recently commented on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $550.00 to $625.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Capital One Financial initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Monday, June 22nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $710.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 27th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.89.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on MUSA
Murphy USA Company 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.
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