Vista Finance LLC Invests $291,000 in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Vista Finance LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $291,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 40.4% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 348.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MUSA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price 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. One investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $510.80.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA opened at $485.65 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The business’s 50-day moving average is $502.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $506.36. 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 (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA 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 transaction of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

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.