Renee M. Bacon Sells 2,000 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 directly owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $467.01 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $487.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $502.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The firm has a market cap of $9.35 billion, a PE ratio of 19.30 and a beta of 0.79. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $382.04 and a 12 month high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.42%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective 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, StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $510.80.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MUSA. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at about $220,000. Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 74,910 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $37,586,000 after buying an additional 4,390 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 29.1% in the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 4,508 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,262,000 after buying an additional 1,015 shares during the period. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 20.9% during the 4th quarter. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,390 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $697,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 863 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.