Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Shares Sold by Horrell Capital Management Inc.

Horrell Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 25,182 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,245 shares during the period. Murphy USA accounts for approximately 4.1% of Horrell Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Horrell Capital Management Inc. owned 0.13% of Murphy USA worth $9,777,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Murphy USA by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 132,705 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $51,524,000 after purchasing an additional 4,468 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its position in Murphy USA by 20.2% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 138,998 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $53,967,000 after buying an additional 23,349 shares during the period. Southernsun Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 13.7% in the second quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC now owns 74,908 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,473,000 after buying an additional 9,051 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 60.1% during the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 13,667 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,405,000 after acquiring an additional 5,128 shares during the period. Finally, VELA Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 200.8% during the third quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC now owns 6,714 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,607,000 after acquiring an additional 4,482 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MUSA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, January 9th. They issued an “underperform” rating on the stock. Zacks Research raised Murphy USA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $467.00 to $445.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Murphy USA from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, KeyCorp set a $500.00 target price on Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $457.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 1,219 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.09, for a total value of $470,643.71. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,288,355.43. The trade was a 17.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Malynda K. West sold 3,967 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $1,785,150.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 117,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,825,050. This trade represents a 3.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 50,918 shares of company stock valued at $19,876,993 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 10.12% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Down 5.5%

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $384.92 on Wednesday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $345.23 and a 1 year high of $523.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.80. The business’s fifty day moving average is $413.77 and its 200-day moving average is $392.04. The stock has a market cap of $7.15 billion, a PE ratio of 15.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.38.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $0.86. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.88 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 75.75% and a net margin of 2.43%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.96 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 10.38%.

Murphy USA Profile

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company’s primary operations center on two retail formats.