Southernsun Asset Management LLC Buys 2,032 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Southernsun Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 69,806 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,032 shares during the quarter. Murphy USA accounts for 4.4% of Southernsun Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Southernsun Asset Management LLC owned 0.34% of Murphy USA worth $35,025,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 46.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 9,890 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,874,000 after buying an additional 3,135 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,136,000. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,122,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $374,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 122.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 2,966 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,462,000 after buying an additional 1,635 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MUSA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Melius started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Stephens raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $539.00.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.9 %

MUSA stock traded up $4.36 on Friday, reaching $490.72. 163,564 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 204,509. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $470.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $493.62. The company has a market cap of $9.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.28 and a beta of 0.73. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $382.04 and a one year 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.

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