KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Purchases New Stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 5,900 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,960,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 1.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 590,558 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $291,068,000 after purchasing an additional 8,507 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 worth $211,135,000 after purchasing an additional 176,308 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in 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 buying an additional 16,006 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Murphy USA by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 183,041 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $91,841,000 after acquiring an additional 3,641 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Murphy USA Price Performance

Murphy USA stock traded down $1.38 during trading on Friday, reaching $459.90. The company had a trading volume of 216,958 shares, 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 $495.15. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $382.04 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.00 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MUSA shares. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Melius started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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 that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,476.19. This represents a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.