Hsbc Holdings PLC Sells 2,515 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Hsbc Holdings PLC lowered its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 53.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,184 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,515 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $882,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 149.9% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 507,418 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $204,753,000 after purchasing an additional 304,354 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 506,214 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $204,267,000 after buying an additional 7,973 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 45.6% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 318,473 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $128,511,000 after buying an additional 99,798 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 300,758 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $121,365,000 after buying an additional 1,930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 676.7% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 170,215 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $69,243,000 after acquiring an additional 148,301 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $611.32 on Wednesday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $345.23 and a 52 week high of $636.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company’s fifty day moving average is $560.87 and its 200-day moving average is $488.02. The company has a market capitalization of $11.29 billion, a PE ratio of 21.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.30.

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 net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.63 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 32.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.64 per share. 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MUSA has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the company from $380.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 target price for the company. Capital One Financial began coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $710.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Murphy USA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $579.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 1,050 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.44, for a total transaction of $555,912.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,632,263.52. This represents a 25.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 517 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $574.49, for a total transaction of $297,011.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $287,245. The trade was a 50.84% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 46,225 shares of company stock worth $27,363,392 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 9.02% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA 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.