Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $2.18 Million Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,336 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 45 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,176,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MUSA. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 69,802 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $35,023,000 after purchasing an additional 728 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 58.4% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 423 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $212,000 after buying an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 1,963 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $985,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 15,377 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $7,715,000 after acquiring an additional 978 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 348 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $175,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $525.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE MUSA opened at $459.90 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $471.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $495.52. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.00 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. Research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 8.10%.

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.