Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC decreased its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 409,662 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 9,038 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 2.02% of Murphy USA worth $205,548,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 347 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $174,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,444 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,230,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 967 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $485,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Mustard Seed Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Mustard Seed Financial LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $564,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

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Murphy USA Trading Up 6.7 %

MUSA traded up $32.36 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $514.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 577,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 204,424. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $382.04 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $468.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $492.46. 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 firm has a market cap of $10.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.26 and a beta of 0.73.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. 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 0.38%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the 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 directly owns 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp began coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Friday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. One 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $539.00.

Murphy USA Company 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.