Allianz Asset Management GmbH Buys 23,349 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 20.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 138,998 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,349 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned approximately 0.74% of Murphy USA worth $53,967,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake 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. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 1,925.0% during the 2nd quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 81 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, American National Bank & Trust bought a new position in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $443.89 on Thursday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $345.23 and a 12 month high of $523.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $414.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $393.68.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $0.86. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 69.87%. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.88 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.96 EPS. Murphy USA’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Murphy USA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $375.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $467.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $460.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 24,733 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $381.33, for a total transaction of $9,431,434.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 131,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,963,381.92. This trade represents a 15.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Malynda K. West sold 4,051 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $425.00, for a total value of $1,721,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 117,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,890,325. This represents a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 45,034 shares of company stock valued at $17,349,722 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

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.