Corebridge Financial Inc. Sells 1,209 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Corebridge Financial Inc. lowered its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,060 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 1,209 shares during the quarter. Corebridge Financial Inc. owned 0.10% of Murphy USA worth $10,567,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth about $53,777,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 6.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,751,206 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 99,253 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,122,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Murphy USA by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,864,405 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $935,465,000 after buying an additional 54,658 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Up 2.2 %

Murphy USA stock traded up $10.05 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $470.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 297,483 shares, compared to its average volume of 200,607. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $382.04 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The firm's 50 day moving average is $471.64 and its 200 day moving average is $494.69. The company has a market cap of $9.31 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44 and a beta of 0.80.

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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 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.42%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 8.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of Murphy USA 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company's 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now 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 have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 in the last three months. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on MUSA. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $525.67.

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.