Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Purchases 9,827 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 57.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,846 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 9,827 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.13% of Murphy USA worth $13,470,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 22.2% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 8,385 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,133,000 after buying an additional 1,526 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,207,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth about $11,529,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 69.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $211,135,000 after buying an additional 176,308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 622.9% in the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 4,048 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,995,000 after purchasing an additional 3,488 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Murphy USA Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded up $5.44 on Wednesday, hitting $480.64. 225,242 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 200,573. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $382.04 and a one year 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $471.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $494.28. The company has a market capitalization of $9.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.86 and a beta of 0.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.41%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 8.10%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MUSA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Melius assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.