Everence Capital Management Inc. Makes New $1.10 Million Investment in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,104,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 16.3% in the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 930 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $437,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 5.6% during the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 580 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $174,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter worth about $474,000. Finally, Choreo LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at approximately $465,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded up $6.73 during trading on Friday, hitting $500.41. 153,196 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 125,348. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $350.55 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $521.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $504.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.64 and a beta of 0.78.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.64 by $0.56. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. The firm had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.69 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.59 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a $0.48 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.38%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MUSA shares. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" 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.