Readystate Asset Management LP Acquires New Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Readystate Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,625 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $801,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 5.4% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 391 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $193,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 3.8% in the second quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 784 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in Murphy USA by 5.6% in the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 7.3% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 547 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $537.67 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $505.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $493.63. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $350.55 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.18 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th were paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.36%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MUSA shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $495.33.

Murphy USA Company Profile

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.