Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Boosts Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 305.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,156 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,377 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,584,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MML Investors Services LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 8,071 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,050,000 after buying an additional 753 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 11,193 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $5,616,000 after buying an additional 712 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,724 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,367,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,606,000. Finally, Zacks Investment Management lifted its position in Murphy USA by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 8,938 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,485,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MUSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on 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, Melius initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $539.00.

Murphy USA Trading Down 1.2 %

Murphy USA stock opened at $499.43 on Thursday. 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 firm's 50 day moving average price is $470.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $493.50. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The stock has a market cap of $9.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.64 and a beta of 0.73.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. On average, equities analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 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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