ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC lessened its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 47.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 18,926 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 17,246 shares during the quarter. ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Murphy USA worth $9,328,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the third quarter valued at about $440,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth about $406,000. L.M. Kohn & Company increased its stake in Murphy USA by 36.9% during the 3rd quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company now owns 853 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $420,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Finally, De Lisle Partners LLP lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 7.6% in the third quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 35,406 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $17,432,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE MUSA traded up $2.46 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $544.95. 41,769 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 194,431. The company has a 50 day moving average of $502.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $492.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19. The firm has a market cap of $11.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.38 and a beta of 0.78. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $350.55 and a 52-week high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.64 by $0.56. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. The company had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.69 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.35%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is 7.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on MUSA. StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, October 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $415.00 to $435.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $495.33.

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.