Raymond James Financial Inc. Buys New Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 107,179 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $53,777,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.53% of Murphy USA as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 186.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at about $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last ninety days. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of MUSA traded up $4.57 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $511.03. 134,910 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 204,654. The company has a market cap of $10.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.12 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $469.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $493.26. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $382.04 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. Research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MUSA shares. Stephens upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $539.00.

About Murphy USA

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.