Martingale Asset Management L P Trims Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Martingale Asset Management L P lessened its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 33.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,387 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 19,611 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $19,413,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. De Lisle Partners LLP grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 7.6% during the third quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 35,406 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $17,432,000 after buying an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 14,399 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $7,097,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 973 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $480,000 after buying an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $740,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,751,206 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 99,253 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Trading Down 0.4 %

Murphy USA stock opened at $553.39 on Friday. 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 12-month low of $350.55 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.83 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $500.48 and a 200 day moving average of $489.98.

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 the consensus estimate of $6.64 by $0.56. The firm had revenue of $5.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. The company’s revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $7.69 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 4th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MUSA shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” 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.