Evergreen Wealth Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 3,303 Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Evergreen Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 3,303 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,333,000. Murphy USA comprises approximately 1.1% of Evergreen Wealth Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 317.6% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 423.1% in the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Down 2.3%

NYSE MUSA opened at $563.14 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $505.73 and a 200-day moving average of $435.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.36. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $345.23 and a 52 week high of $609.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.37 by $1.91. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 91.05% and a net margin of 2.81%.The business had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.63 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 31.8 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.64 per share. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 8.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 41,500 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $596.96, for a total transaction of $24,773,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 342,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $204,286,875.52. The trade was a 10.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,155 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $395.19, for a total value of $456,444.45. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $609,778.17. This trade represents a 42.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 46,693 shares of company stock valued at $26,832,139 over the last quarter. 9.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MUSA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Stephens cut their price objective on Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Murphy USA from $450.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Zacks Research raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $503.71.

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.