AGF Management Ltd. Sells 1,266 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

AGF Management Ltd. cut its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 20.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,898 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 1,266 shares during the quarter. AGF Management Ltd.'s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,458,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Melius assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $525.67.

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Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE:MUSA opened at $448.31 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $481.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $500.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.53 and a beta of 0.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 directly owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043. Corporate 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.

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