Monument Capital Management Reduces Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Monument Capital Management trimmed its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 5.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,598 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 592 shares during the quarter. Murphy USA accounts for about 1.3% of Monument Capital Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Monument Capital Management’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $4,443,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Narus Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. Narus Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,020 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $428,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 69,122 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,976,000 after purchasing an additional 4,929 shares during the last quarter. WD Rutherford LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at about $122,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,838 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,609,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Viking Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,258,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 10,392 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $440.32, for a total value of $4,575,805.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 199,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,871,580.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 10,392 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $440.32, for a total value of $4,575,805.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 199,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,871,580.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 854 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $438.75, for a total value of $374,692.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,818,436.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,451 shares of company stock valued at $5,032,498 in the last quarter. 9.73% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA stock traded down $2.91 on Wednesday, hitting $456.95. The company had a trading volume of 27,241 shares, compared to its average volume of 215,289. The firm has a market cap of $9.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.30 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $444.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $410.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $282.49 and a twelve month high of $489.89.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The specialty retailer reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.97). The company had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 64.45%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.80 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 24.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 17th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 7.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on MUSA. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $408.60.

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.