Ballentine Partners LLC Takes Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 570 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $286,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 347 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $174,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 58.6% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,838 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $922,000 after buying an additional 679 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,562 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,285,000 after buying an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth about $11,529,000. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $1,207,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $509.40.

Murphy USA Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE MUSA traded down $5.43 on Friday, hitting $476.54. 180,788 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 139,115. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $350.55 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.66 and a beta of 0.80. The company's 50 day moving average price is $516.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $506.33.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.64 by $0.56. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. The business had revenue of $5.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.69 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.