Larson Financial Group LLC Boosts Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 391 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 20 shares during the quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 777.8% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 79 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 141.4% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 40.4% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 942.9% in the third quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 146 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 82.1% during the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 173 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $553.65 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $350.55 and a one year high of $561.08. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $498.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $489.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.84 and a beta of 0.75.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.64 by $0.56. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 62.73% and a net margin of 2.48%. The company had revenue of $5.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $7.69 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.59 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.35%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MUSA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 26th. Finally, Raymond James upped their target price on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $495.33.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA Inc engages in marketing of retail motor fuel products and convenience merchandise. The company operates retail stores under the Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and QuickChek brands, as well as operates non-fuel convenience stores. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States.