Geode Capital Management LLC Purchases 33,489 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 421,760 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 33,489 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.08% of Murphy USA worth $211,667,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA by 186.1% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MUSA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Melius started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $525.67.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $470.95 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46 and a beta of 0.73. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $382.04 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $471.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $493.26. 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 earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.10%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.