Jeanne Linder Phillips Sells 797 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE MUSA traded down $3.99 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $467.01. The company had a trading volume of 306,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 191,377. The company has a market capitalization of $9.35 billion, a PE ratio of 19.30 and a beta of 0.79. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $487.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $502.95.

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 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 8.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $510.80.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 5.4% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 391 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $193,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 347 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $174,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,444 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,230,000 after buying an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management grew its position in Murphy USA by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 8,938 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,485,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 967 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $485,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.