IPG Investment Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

IPG Investment Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 32.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,422 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 10,630 shares during the period. Murphy USA accounts for approximately 1.7% of IPG Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. IPG Investment Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Murphy USA worth $12,083,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 106.7% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 423.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 82.5% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA opened at $516.37 on Thursday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $349.83 and a 12 month high of $636.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $569.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $531.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77. The firm has a market cap of $9.54 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.25.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 96.01% and a net margin of 2.87%.The business had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.36 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 34.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were paid a $0.65 dividend. 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 of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 7.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MUSA shares. Capital One Financial initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $710.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $380.00 to $550.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Murphy USA from $655.00 to $633.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 27th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $606.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total transaction of $552,436.08. Following the transaction, the director owned 449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $256,774.12. The trade was a 68.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Eric Bartko sold 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $523.60, for a total value of $52,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $131,947.20. This trade represents a 28.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 9.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.