Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Purchased by Schechter Investment Advisors LLC

Schechter Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,117 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,564,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at approximately $522,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,165 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 3.4% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,420 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,178,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its position in Murphy USA by 232.2% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 35,378 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $17,437,000 after buying an additional 24,727 shares during the period. Finally, Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $288,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on MUSA. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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 issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $510.80.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 available through this hyperlink. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $464.59 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $382.04 and a 52 week high of $561.08. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $488.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $503.52. The company has a market capitalization of $9.30 billion, a PE ratio of 19.20 and a beta of 0.79.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share 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%. Analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio 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.