Cannell & Spears LLC Buys 3,508 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Cannell & Spears LLC raised its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 12.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,480 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 3,508 shares during the period. Cannell & Spears LLC owned 0.16% of Murphy USA worth $16,297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 over the last quarter. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE MUSA traded down $7.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $474.63. The stock had a trading volume of 105,141 shares, compared to its average volume of 237,732. The firm has a market cap of $9.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.60 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $471.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $494.10. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.49 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MUSA shares. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Melius began coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $525.67.

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.