Wellington Management Group LLP Invests $3.84 Million in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 7,784 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,836,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 40.4% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 942.9% in the third quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 146 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 82.1% in the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 173 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 135.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 186 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at $94,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Trading Down 3.6 %

MUSA stock traded down $19.51 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $520.20. The stock had a trading volume of 183,418 shares, compared to its average volume of 192,947. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $350.55 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The firm has a market cap of $10.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.46 and a beta of 0.78. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $514.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $500.13.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. The company had revenue of $5.24 billion during 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 was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research 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 given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This is a boost 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.37%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 7.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MUSA shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.