Clearbridge Investments LLC Sells 72,954 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Clearbridge Investments LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 18.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 312,402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 72,954 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 1.47% of Murphy USA worth $111,390,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 191.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 394.7% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 94 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Key Financial Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 942.9% during the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 146 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $440.78 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $268.69 and a 1-year high of $447.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.50 and a beta of 0.77. The company’s 50-day moving average is $418.62 and its 200 day moving average is $390.66.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The specialty retailer reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.97). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.45% and a net margin of 2.43%. The firm had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.89 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 25.61 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th will be given a $0.44 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 7.39%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total transaction of $82,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total transaction of $82,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total transaction of $275,925.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,002,722.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 10,645 shares of company stock valued at $4,326,582. 9.73% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on MUSA shares. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $408.60.

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.