Mustard Seed Financial LLC Purchases 1,450 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Mustard Seed Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 136.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,515 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,450 shares during the period. Mustard Seed Financial LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,015,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,117 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $854,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its position in Murphy USA by 23.6% during the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,184 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $478,000 after buying an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $225,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $360,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of MUSA opened at $495.72 on Tuesday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $345.23 and a 52-week high of $530.88. The business’s fifty day moving average is $440.52 and its 200-day moving average is $411.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market cap of $9.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.23.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.96 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,155 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $395.19, for a total transaction of $456,444.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,543 shares in the company, valued at $609,778.17. This represents a 42.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 899 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.53, for a total transaction of $343,894.47. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 10,919 shares of company stock worth $4,490,690 over the last 90 days. 9.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MUSA shares. KeyCorp set a $500.00 price target on Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Murphy USA from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Bank of America started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, January 9th. They set an “underperform” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $447.33.

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.