Argent Capital Management LLC Has $46.51 Million Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Argent Capital Management LLC decreased its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 0.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 92,687 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 87 shares during the period. Murphy USA makes up about 1.3% of Argent Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Argent Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $46,506,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 49,501.3% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 388,874 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $191,664,000 after purchasing an additional 388,090 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 69.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $211,135,000 after purchasing an additional 176,308 shares during the period. Fiera Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $53,387,000. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,751,206 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 99,253 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,122,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of MUSA opened at $483.60 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.95 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.80. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $522.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $505.20. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $350.55 and a 52 week high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.64 by $0.56. The firm had revenue of $5.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.54 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 62.73% and a net margin of 2.48%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.69 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th were paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 7.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MUSA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and increased their price target 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, two have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $509.40.

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.