Lazard Asset Management LLC Makes New $4.07 Million Investment in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 8,246 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,073,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Huntington National Bank grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 106.7% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 423.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. WPG Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 148.5% in the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 82 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 517 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $574.49, for a total value of $297,011.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 500 shares in the company, valued at $287,245. This trade represents a 50.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 158 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.50, for a total transaction of $94,879.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 476 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,838. The trade was a 24.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 46,225 shares of company stock worth $27,363,392. 9.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $619.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $550.00 to $625.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $380.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $596.44.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $608.99 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $11.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.05, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.30. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $345.23 and a 12 month high of $636.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $571.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $505.47.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.37 by $1.91. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 91.05% and a net margin of 2.81%.The company had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.63 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 32.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a $0.64 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.85%.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company’s primary operations center on two retail formats.