Bessemer Group Inc. Has $34.15 Million Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 17.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,062 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 9,911 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. owned 0.34% of Murphy USA worth $34,150,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 186.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have 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 started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Friday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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. Finally, Stephens raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $539.00.

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Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their position. 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 90 days. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA stock traded down $1.90 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $518.37. 83,067 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 204,583. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $382.04 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The stock's fifty day moving average is $468.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $492.61. The company has a market cap of $10.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.42 and a beta of 0.73.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

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.