Xponance Inc. Increases Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Xponance Inc. grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,733 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,873,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Murphy USA by 69.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $211,135,000 after purchasing an additional 176,308 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $53,777,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,751,206 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 99,253 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth $30,122,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth $18,971,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE MUSA opened at $440.45 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $382.04 and a 52 week high of $561.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The stock has a market cap of $8.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.20 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $474.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $497.29.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on MUSA shares. Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. 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 on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $525.67.

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.