Hancock Whitney Corp Sells 544 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Hancock Whitney Corp lessened its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 9.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,092 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 544 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,555,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on MUSA. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $539.00.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA stock traded up $2.21 on Monday, hitting $493.76. 191,611 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 204,609. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $382.04 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $471.14 and a 200 day moving average of $493.76. The stock has a market cap of $9.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.40 and a beta of 0.73.

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 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA 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 completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % 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 valued at $1,695,043 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

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.