Victory Capital Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA – Get Rating) by 32.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 102,262 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 49,864 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 0.47% of Murphy USA worth $28,586,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,918,000. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 76.4% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 379,886 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $106,194,000 after buying an additional 164,519 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 29.4% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 355,479 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $99,371,000 after buying an additional 80,791 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,650,681 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $728,697,000 after buying an additional 80,089 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 824.0% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 83,906 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $23,455,000 after acquiring an additional 74,825 shares in the last quarter. 85.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Activity at Murphy USA
In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 550 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.97, for a total transaction of $156,183.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $816,129.78. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Murphy USA news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 1,075 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.72, for a total transaction of $298,549.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,849,892.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 550 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.97, for a total value of $156,183.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $816,129.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 1,628 shares of company stock worth $455,611. Company insiders own 9.47% of the company’s stock.
Murphy USA Trading Down 0.2 %
NYSE:MUSA opened at $288.60 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $6.29 billion, a PE ratio of 10.76 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $280.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $271.16. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.06 and a 12-month high of $323.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.50.
Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $4.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.18 by $0.62. The firm had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.95 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 86.87% and a net margin of 2.68%. Murphy USA’s revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.08 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 20.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Murphy USA Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 15th were issued a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 12th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.67%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
MUSA has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $325.00 to $330.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $315.60.
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. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas.
See Also
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