Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Acquired by William Blair Investment Management LLC

William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 69,802 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 728 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 0.34% of Murphy USA worth $35,023,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business’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 sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business’s 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $434.72 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $477.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $498.73. The company has a market capitalization of $8.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.96 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $382.04 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Melius assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on 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 assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

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.