Schechter Investment Advisors LLC Has $1.56 Million Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Schechter Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,117 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,564,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA opened at $464.59 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $488.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $503.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The stock has a market cap of $9.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.20 and a beta of 0.79.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. 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 0.42%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.10%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $510.80.

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.