Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) CMO Sells $939,160.00 in Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.5 %

MUSA stock traded up $6.74 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $471.55. The company had a trading volume of 312,222 shares, compared to its average volume of 190,960. The company has a market capitalization of $9.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.49 and a beta of 0.79. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $382.04 and a 52 week high of $561.08. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $488.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $503.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $64,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MUSA. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. One 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $510.80.

Murphy USA Company Profile

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.