Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd Has $556,000 Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 123.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,108 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 612 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $556,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MUSA. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at approximately $433,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 2.0% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 6,129 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,021,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 94.9% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,736 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,841,000 after buying an additional 1,819 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 64.2% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 330 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $163,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 0.4% during the third quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 15,865 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $7,819,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

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Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA stock traded up $7.94 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $454.70. 209,956 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 194,313. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $382.04 and a one year high of $561.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $473.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $496.75. The company has a market cap of $9.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.79 and a beta of 0.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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%. Equities 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 announced 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 0.43%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last quarter. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MUSA shares. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note 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 research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $525.67.

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.