Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Stake Reduced by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP decreased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 221,696 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 9,631 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.09% of Murphy USA worth $111,234,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $67,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Melius started coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Stephens raised Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $539.00.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $490.72 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $470.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $493.73. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $382.04 and a 52 week high of $561.08. The stock has a market cap of $9.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28 and a beta of 0.73. 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 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 predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.10%.

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.

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