Murphy USA (MUSA) Declares $0.37 Dividend

Murphy USA said on February 9, 2023 that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share ($1.48 annualized). Shareholders of record as of February 17, 2023 will receive the payment on March 1, 2023. Previously, the company paid $0.35 per share.

At the current share price of $274.41 / share, the stock's dividend yield is 0.54%. Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 0.62%, the lowest has been 0.42%, and the highest has been 0.83%. The standard deviation of yields is 0.12 (n=106).

The current dividend yield is 0.64 standard deviations below the historical average.

Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is 0.05. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5.

Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 10.40% Upside

As of February 11, 2023, the average one-year price target for Murphy USA is $302.94. The forecasts range from a low of $226.24 to a high of $378.00. The average price target represents an increase of 10.40% from its latest reported closing price of $274.41.

The projected annual revenue for Murphy USA is $23,854MM, an increase of 12.17%. The projected annual EPS is $18.34, a decrease of 35.92%.

What is the Fund Sentiment?

There are 878 funds or institutions reporting positions in Murphy USA. This is an increase of 44 owner(s) or 5.28% in the last quarter. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to MUSA is 0.32%, an increase of 2.74%. Total shares owned by institutions decreased in the last three months by 1.54% to 22,327K shares. The put/call ratio of MUSA is 0.57, indicating a bullish outlook.

What are large shareholders doing?

VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 628K shares representing 2.89% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 642K shares, representing a decrease of 2.29%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in MUSA by 20.30% over the last quarter.

IJH - iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF holds 628K shares representing 2.89% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 638K shares, representing a decrease of 1.60%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in MUSA by 16.77% over the last quarter.

NAESX - Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund Investor Shares holds 534K shares representing 2.45% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 550K shares, representing a decrease of 3.12%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in MUSA by 19.38% over the last quarter.

Renaissance Technologies holds 517K shares representing 2.38% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 558K shares, representing a decrease of 7.92%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in MUSA by 30.72% over the last quarter.

IWM - iShares Russell 2000 ETF holds 470K shares representing 2.16% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 505K shares, representing a decrease of 7.39%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in MUSA by 19.06% over the last quarter.

Murphy USA Background Information
(This description is provided by the company.)

Murphy USA is a leading retailer of gasoline and convenience merchandise with more than 1,650 stations located primarily in the Southwest, Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast United States. The company and its team of nearly 15,000 employees serve an estimated 2.0 million customers each day through its network of retail gasoline and convenience stations in 27 states. The majority of Murphy USA's sites are located in close proximity to Walmart stores. The company also markets gasoline and other products at standalone stores under the Murphy Express and QuickChek brands. Murphy USA ranks 262 among Fortune 500 companies.

This story originally appeared on Fintel.