Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Holdings Lessened by First Affirmative Financial Network

First Affirmative Financial Network lessened its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 16.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 91 shares during the quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $234,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 40.4% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 186.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 348.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 942.9% in the third quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 146 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:MUSA opened at $502.56 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $513.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $506.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $10.18 billion, a PE ratio of 20.73 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $350.55 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.64 by $0.56. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. The firm had revenue of $5.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.69 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $509.40.

Murphy USA 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.