Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Takes $1.78 Million Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 3,547 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,780,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 347 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $174,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,444 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,230,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 967 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $485,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position 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 worth $50,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Mustard Seed Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Mustard Seed Financial LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $564,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Stephens raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Melius assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $539.00.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA traded down $3.60 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $516.68. 49,237 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 204,447. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $468.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $492.61. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $382.04 and a one year high of $561.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.35 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. As a group, research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.38%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043. Insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

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.