Eisler Capital Management Ltd. Buys Shares of 2,175 Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Eisler Capital Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,175 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,078,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Norges Bank bought a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $112,741,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 69.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $211,135,000 after acquiring an additional 176,308 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,777,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,864,405 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $935,465,000 after acquiring an additional 54,658 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 363.2% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 54,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,331,000 after purchasing an additional 42,712 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $445.45 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $476.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $494.07. The stock has a market cap of $8.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $420.92 and a 12 month high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.87 by ($1.24). The business had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.79 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.12 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MUSA shares. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $526.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,476.19. This represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

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.