Quantbot Technologies LP Acquires New Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,501 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $740,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in Murphy USA by 141.4% in the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 40.4% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 777.8% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 79 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Key Financial Inc raised its stake in Murphy USA by 942.9% during the third quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 146 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Murphy USA by 82.1% in the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 173 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.3 %

Murphy USA stock traded up $1.78 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $544.27. The stock had a trading volume of 51,213 shares, compared to its average volume of 194,476. The company has a market capitalization of $11.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.38 and a beta of 0.78. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $350.55 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $502.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $492.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. 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 dividend yield of 0.35%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on MUSA shares. StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, October 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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 report on Thursday, September 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $495.33.

About Murphy USA

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.