Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) CEO Sells $1,721,675.00 in Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) CEO Malynda West sold 4,051 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.00, for a total transaction of $1,721,675.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 117,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,890,325. The trade was a 3.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE MUSA traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $426.25. 293,612 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 281,028. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.98 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $345.23 and a 1 year high of $523.09. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $387.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $391.49.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.60 by $0.65. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 69.87%. The firm had revenue of $5.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.20 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were given 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 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.63%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter worth about $26,000. AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 317.6% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA by 423.1% in the second 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. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MUSA. Zacks Research upgraded Murphy USA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $405.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp reduced their target price 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $474.00.

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.