Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,824 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $915,000.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $53,777,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 6.0% during the 3rd 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. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,122,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $18,971,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Activity at Murphy USA
In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business'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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last 90 days. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Murphy USA Stock Performance
NYSE MUSA traded up $3.33 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $457.89. The company had a trading volume of 183,310 shares, compared to its average volume of 194,576. The business has a 50 day moving average of $473.01 and a 200-day moving average of $496.37. The company has a market cap of $9.06 billion, a PE ratio of 18.92 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $382.04 and a 1-year 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.
Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.
Murphy USA Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.43%. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.10%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of 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 on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Melius started coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Finally, Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $525.67.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Murphy USA
About Murphy USA
(
Free Report)
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.
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