Rosemary Turner Sells 797 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE MUSA opened at $485.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.83 billion, a PE ratio of 20.07 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. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $502.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $506.36.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.40%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 7.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 40.4% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 186.1% during 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 purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $64,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MUSA. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note 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 Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $510.80.

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.