Savant Capital LLC Invests $210,000 in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Savant Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 588 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $210,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Headinvest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $138,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $1,925,000. UBS Group AG increased its stake in Murphy USA by 40.6% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 31,087 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,623,000 after purchasing an additional 8,972 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 1.9% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 164,400 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $56,180,000 after purchasing an additional 2,996 shares during the period. Finally, K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $2,532,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $412.92 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $8.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33 and a beta of 0.77. The business’s 50 day moving average is $414.74 and its 200 day moving average is $385.72. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $268.69 and a 12-month high of $430.83. 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 (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $4.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.89 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.45% and a net margin of 2.43%. Murphy USA’s revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.80 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.41%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total value of $275,925.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,002,722.15. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total transaction of $275,925.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,002,722.15. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of Murphy USA 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,645 shares of company stock valued at $4,326,582 in the last 90 days. 9.73% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MUSA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target 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. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $408.60.

Murphy USA Company 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.