DF Dent & Co. Inc. Trims Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

DF Dent & Co. Inc. reduced its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 71,777 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 5,310 shares during the period. DF Dent & Co. Inc. owned approximately 0.35% of Murphy USA worth $36,014,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on MUSA. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $525.67.

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Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % 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 worth $1,695,043 over the last 90 days. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Murphy USA stock traded up $15.37 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $473.59. 69,309 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 201,099. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The stock has a market cap of $9.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.61 and a beta of 0.73. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $382.04 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The stock's fifty day moving average is $470.76 and its 200-day moving average is $493.03.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current 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 issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

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.