AXQ Capital LP Invests $297,000 in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

AXQ Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 592 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $297,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA by 186.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $67,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA opened at $440.45 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $8.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.20 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $382.04 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business’s fifty day moving average is $474.38 and its 200-day moving average is $497.22.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. Sell-side analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MUSA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 over the last ninety days. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.