Holocene Advisors LP Sells 5,307 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Holocene Advisors LP lessened its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 0.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 591,712 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 5,307 shares during the period. Murphy USA makes up about 1.2% of Holocene Advisors LP’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Holocene Advisors LP owned 2.92% of Murphy USA worth $291,637,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 777.8% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 79 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in Murphy USA by 141.4% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 40.4% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 942.9% in the 3rd quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 146 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 82.1% during the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 173 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $551.05 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $501.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $491.57. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $350.55 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The company has a market capitalization of $11.16 billion, a PE ratio of 22.73 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.64 by $0.56. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 62.73% and a net margin of 2.48%. The company had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.69 EPS. Murphy USA’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.59 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MUSA has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a report on Thursday, September 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has a consensus 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.