Southernsun Asset Management LLC Has $41.89 Million Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Southernsun Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 8.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 84,797 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 7,531 shares during the quarter. Murphy USA accounts for 6.1% of Southernsun Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Southernsun Asset Management LLC owned about 0.46% of Murphy USA worth $41,887,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $6,874,000. Evergreen Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,333,000. Viking Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,421,000. Millennium Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,029,000. Finally, Dakota Wealth Management bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,134,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $610.12 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $11.27 billion, a PE ratio of 21.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.30. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $563.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $495.15. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $345.23 and a 1-year high of $636.04.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.37 by $1.91. The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. The business’s revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.63 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 32.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a dividend of $0.64 per share. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MUSA. Zacks Research cut Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $550.00 to $625.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $585.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 41,500 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $596.96, for a total transaction of $24,773,840.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 342,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $204,286,875.52. This trade represents a 10.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 158 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.50, for a total transaction of $94,879.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 476 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,838. This represents a 24.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 46,225 shares of company stock worth $27,363,392 in the last ninety days. 9.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA 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.