Southernsun Asset Management LLC Cuts Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Southernsun Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 8.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 67,774 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 5,947 shares during the quarter. Murphy USA comprises 4.0% of Southernsun Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Southernsun Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.33% of Murphy USA worth $33,404,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 6.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,751,206 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $863,116,000 after buying an additional 99,253 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 1.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 590,558 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $291,068,000 after purchasing an additional 8,507 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 49,501.3% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 388,874 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $191,664,000 after purchasing an additional 388,090 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Murphy USA by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 204,363 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $95,940,000 after purchasing an additional 1,560 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 141,637 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $66,493,000 after buying an additional 1,635 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE MUSA traded up $1.42 on Friday, reaching $539.09. 25,889 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 193,573. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $350.55 and a one year high of $561.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.92 billion, a PE ratio of 22.18 and a beta of 0.78. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $505.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $493.63.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its 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 net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. The company had revenue of $5.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.69 EPS. Murphy USA's revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MUSA has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Murphy USA from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, October 26th. One 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company 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.