Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank decreased its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,367 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.19% of Murphy USA worth $19,251,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 348 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $175,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $234,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 90.1% during the 4th quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 30,152 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $15,129,000 after buying an additional 14,287 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $234,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,812 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,414,000 after buying an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MUSA. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Melius assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $434.72 on Wednesday. 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 Inc. has a 52 week low of $382.04 and a 52 week high of $561.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.70 billion, a PE ratio of 17.96 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $477.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $498.73.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. 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%.

Murphy USA Company 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.