American Century Companies Inc. Has $19.68 Million Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 39,228 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 3,040 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.19% of Murphy USA worth $19,683,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Murphy USA by 69.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $211,135,000 after acquiring an additional 176,308 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at $53,777,000. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the third quarter valued at about $30,122,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the third quarter valued at about $18,971,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $11,529,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $525.67.

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Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA stock traded up $3.85 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $479.05. The company had a trading volume of 86,511 shares, compared to its average volume of 235,241. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $471.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $494.28. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $382.04 and a one year high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.80 and a beta of 0.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its 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 return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. Equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 yield of 0.41%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The sale 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 company's stock in a transaction 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 owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 in the last ninety days. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.