Clearbridge Investments LLC Buys 16,954 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 284,564 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 16,954 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 1.41% of Murphy USA worth $142,780,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of MUSA stock traded up $5.44 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $480.64. The company had a trading volume of 225,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 200,573. The company has a market cap of $9.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.86 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $471.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $494.28. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $382.04 and a 12 month 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.

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Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. 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 0.41%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the sale, 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.