Whittier Trust Co. Purchases 1,811 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Whittier Trust Co. increased its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 12.9% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 15,843 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,811 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $8,041,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at about $488,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the first quarter worth about $263,000. Moran Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 19.4% in the first quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,802 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $7,806,000 after purchasing an additional 2,572 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter worth approximately $217,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA by 78.9% in the first quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,125 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $556,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:MUSA traded up $14.16 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $577.22. 34,925 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 343,760. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.30. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $345.23 and a 52-week high of $636.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24. The business’s fifty day moving average is $554.88 and its 200-day moving average is $480.06.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.37 by $1.91. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. The company had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.63 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 32.3 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a $0.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on MUSA shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $510.00 to $517.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research cut shares of Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the company from $380.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 target price on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $571.22.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 158 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.50, for a total value of $94,879.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 476 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,838. This trade represents a 24.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 1,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $529.44, for a total value of $555,912.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,083 shares in the company, valued at $1,632,263.52. The trade was a 25.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 46,225 shares of company stock valued at $27,363,392. Company insiders own 9.02% of the company’s stock.

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.