Swiss National Bank lessened its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA – Free Report) by 11.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 40,167 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 5,400 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $14,322,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 191.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Key Financial Inc lifted its position in Murphy USA by 942.9% during the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 146 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 34.2% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. grew its position in Murphy USA by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. now owns 174 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $82,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $82,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total transaction of $275,925.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,002,722.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,645 shares of company stock worth $4,326,582. 9.73% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Murphy USA Stock Performance
Shares of MUSA opened at $435.38 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $268.69 and a 52-week high of $435.92. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $414.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $386.64. The company has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a PE ratio of 18.27 and a beta of 0.77.
Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The specialty retailer reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.97). The company had revenue of $4.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 64.45%. Murphy USA’s revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.80 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 25.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Murphy USA Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 17th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.40%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 7.05%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
MUSA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $470.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $408.60.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on MUSA
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.
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