Empowered Funds LLC Reduces Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Empowered Funds LLC lessened its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 37.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,938 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 7,747 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC owned 0.06% of Murphy USA worth $6,492,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 6.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,751,206 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 99,253 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 1.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 590,558 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $291,068,000 after acquiring an additional 8,507 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 purchasing an additional 176,308 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 49,501.3% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 388,874 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $191,664,000 after purchasing an additional 388,090 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 4.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 388,271 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $191,407,000 after purchasing an additional 16,006 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MUSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $510.80.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA stock traded down $7.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $485.65. 220,207 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 211,690. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $502.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $506.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The company has a market cap of $9.83 billion, a PE ratio of 20.07 and a beta of 0.79. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. On average, equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This is a boost 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 0.40%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is 7.93%.

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.