Advisors Asset Management Inc. Has $2.58 Million Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 37.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,403 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,578,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 186.1% in 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 during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value 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 approximately $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $440.45 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $382.04 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The company has a market capitalization of $8.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.20 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $474.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $497.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. Research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on MUSA. Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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 raised 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. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $525.67.

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.