2,981 Shares in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Bought by Highland Capital Management LLC

Highland Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,981 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,063,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Pinebridge Investments L.P. lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 136.1% in the second quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. now owns 85 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at about $38,000. 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 valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Covington Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at about $61,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 26.1% during the third quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 275 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total value of $2,837,410.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,607,700.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Murphy USA news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total transaction of $503,830.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,797,249.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total value of $2,837,410.72. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,607,700.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,440 shares of company stock valued at $4,244,582. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MUSA. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $375.00 to $425.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $395.60.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE:MUSA opened at $417.06 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $394.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $371.86. The firm has a market cap of $8.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.35 and a beta of 0.77. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $248.75 and a 52-week high of $426.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.79 by $1.21. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 70.92% and a net margin of 2.59%. Murphy USA’s revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.21 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.59%.

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.