Allianz Asset Management GmbH Increases Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 107,752 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,183 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned 0.53% of Murphy USA worth $54,065,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% during the fourth 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 last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Murphy USA by 348.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MUSA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Finally, 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 research report on Friday, February 7th. 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $510.80.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $445.19 on Friday. 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 quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business has a fifty day moving average of $495.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $504.99. The company has a market cap of $9.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.40 and a beta of 0.79.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its 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 predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.93%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

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.