JCP Investment Management LLC Purchases Shares of 27,886 Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

JCP Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 27,886 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $10,827,000. Murphy USA comprises about 7.1% of JCP Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. JCP Investment Management LLC owned 0.15% of Murphy USA at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 10.2% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $792,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in Murphy USA by 529.0% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 195 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 446,654 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $181,732,000 after purchasing an additional 3,447 shares during the period. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey lifted its position in Murphy USA by 3.5% in the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 6,891 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,803,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its position in Murphy USA by 6.1% in the second quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 4,620 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,879,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $456.67 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $345.23 and a fifty-two week high of $523.09. The firm has a market cap of $8.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.40. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $416.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $396.03.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.67 by $0.86. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 75.75% and a net margin of 2.43%.The company had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 10.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Monday, December 29th. KeyCorp set a $500.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, January 9th. They set an “underperform” rating for the company. Stephens cut their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $429.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 2,844 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $388.61, for a total value of $1,105,206.84. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,198,084.63. This trade represents a 47.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Malynda K. West sold 4,051 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.00, for a total transaction of $1,721,675.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 117,389 shares in the company, valued at $49,890,325. The trade was a 3.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,970 shares of company stock worth $6,212,365. Company insiders own 10.12% 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.