Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director Rosemary Turner Sells 797 Shares of Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE:MUSA opened at $485.65 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.07 and a beta of 0.79. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $502.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $506.35. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $382.04 and a one year high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced 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 net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. Equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid 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 positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 4.8% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,340 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,153,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 18.2% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,300 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $641,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 88.5% during the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 801 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $395,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 612 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 40.4% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently 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.