Private Advisor Group LLC Increases Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 120.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,334 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,276 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,171,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,340 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,153,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the third quarter worth about $214,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 23.3% in the third quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 2,952 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,469,000 after buying an additional 557 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 5.1% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,165 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,067,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Petra Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at approximately $632,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA traded down $4.65 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $464.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 253,270 shares, compared to its average volume of 189,290. The stock has a market cap of $9.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.20 and a beta of 0.79. The business's 50-day moving average price is $488.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $503.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $382.04 and a 12 month high of $561.08.

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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 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.10%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on MUSA. StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $510.80.

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.