Leeward Investments LLC MA Sells 3,926 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Leeward Investments LLC MA cut its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 52,683 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 3,926 shares during the period. Murphy USA comprises approximately 1.3% of Leeward Investments LLC MA’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Leeward Investments LLC MA’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $26,434,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 22.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 8,385 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,133,000 after acquiring an additional 1,526 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at $1,207,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at $11,529,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 6.1% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 35,240 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $17,369,000 after acquiring an additional 2,028 shares during the period. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at $1,573,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MUSA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $510.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $445.19 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The firm has a market cap of $9.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business has a fifty day moving average of $495.66 and a 200-day moving average of $504.99.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 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. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.93%.

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.