Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Acquired by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 421,760 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 33,489 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.08% of Murphy USA worth $211,667,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MUSA. Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in Murphy USA by 22.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 8,385 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,133,000 after acquiring an additional 1,526 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,207,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $11,529,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 69.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $211,135,000 after buying an additional 176,308 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 622.9% in the third quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 4,048 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,995,000 after buying an additional 3,488 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Up 6.7 %

NYSE:MUSA traded up $32.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $514.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 577,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 204,250. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $468.08 and a 200-day moving average of $492.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.26 and a beta of 0.73.

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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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 8.10%.

Insider Activity 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 stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 in the last three months. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price 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 increased their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Stephens upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $539.00.

About Murphy USA

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.