Petra Financial Advisors Inc. Makes New Investment in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Petra Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,282 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $632,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S boosted its position in Murphy USA by 1,091.4% in the first quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 14,464 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $6,063,000 after purchasing an additional 13,250 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Murphy USA by 21.2% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 16,673 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $6,991,000 after buying an additional 2,911 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 10.3% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 13,461 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $5,646,000 after buying an additional 1,254 shares during the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in Murphy USA by 24.3% in the first quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,617 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $678,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 62.7% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 4,455 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,902,000 after acquiring an additional 1,717 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA traded up $15.82 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $488.45. 297,981 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 198,730. The company has a market cap of $10.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.75 and a beta of 0.77. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $350.55 and a 1 year high of $552.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $497.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $474.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.64 by $0.56. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.73% and a net margin of 2.50%. The business had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.69 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 4th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Finally, Raymond James raised their price target on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a 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 assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $495.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 13,454 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.38, for a total transaction of $6,920,468.52. Following the sale, the director now owns 382,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at $196,971,533.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Murphy USA news, Director James W. Keyes sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.54, for a total value of $1,023,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 16,114 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,242,955.56. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 13,454 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.38, for a total value of $6,920,468.52. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 382,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,971,533.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 32,209 shares of company stock worth $16,564,666. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA 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.