Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc

K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc trimmed its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 16.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the period. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,518,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 9.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on MUSA. StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One research 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $510.80.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA opened at $462.67 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $491.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $504.03. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $382.04 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The company has a market cap of $9.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.12 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.10%.

Murphy USA 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.