PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Trims Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 23.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,908 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,160 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,810,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GW&K Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 116.7% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 65 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 1,925.0% in the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 81 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in Murphy USA in the first quarter worth approximately $47,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MUSA has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Zacks Research raised Murphy USA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. KeyCorp reduced their price target on Murphy USA from $480.00 to $460.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $405.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $474.00.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE MUSA opened at $369.09 on Wednesday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $345.23 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $378.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $400.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.57 and a beta of 0.39.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.60 by $0.65. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 69.87% and a net margin of 2.43%.The firm had revenue of $5.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.20 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 10.63%.

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.