22,977 Shares in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Purchased by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 22,977 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $11,529,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.11% of Murphy USA at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 16.3% during the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 930 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $437,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 11.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 1,868 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $862,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter valued at $94,000. Bridges Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the second quarter valued at about $799,000. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 5.4% in the second quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 15,801 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $7,418,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $509.40.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE:MUSA traded down $6.77 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $475.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 199,281 shares, compared to its average volume of 143,870. The stock has a market cap of $9.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.63 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $350.55 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The business's fifty day moving average is $521.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $505.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.64 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $5.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.54 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. The business's revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.69 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 7.92%.

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.