Fox Run Management L.L.C. Buys Shares of 1,162 Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,162 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $583,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE:MUSA traded down $1.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $459.90. 216,958 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 200,219. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $471.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $495.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.00 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $382.04 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79.

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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 return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. As a group, 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Melius started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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. 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 research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. One equities 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $525.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 transaction of $360,491.07. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business's 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. This trade 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 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

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.