Amundi Reduces Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Amundi lowered its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 95.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 501 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 9,771 shares during the period. Amundi's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $247,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 186.1% during 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 bought a new position in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Remove Ads

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:MUSA traded up $7.94 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $454.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 209,956 shares, compared to its average volume of 194,313. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $382.04 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.79 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $473.68 and a 200-day moving average of $496.75. 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 announced 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 net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business 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 is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MUSA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. 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 report on Friday, February 7th. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of 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 downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $525.67.

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.