Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC Sells 2,100 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC cut its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,838 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,100 shares during the period. Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC owned about 0.18% of Murphy USA worth $18,483,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,864,405 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $935,465,000 after buying an additional 54,658 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,783,849 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $895,046,000 after purchasing an additional 32,643 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Murphy USA by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 470,602 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $236,125,000 after purchasing an additional 18,097 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 69.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $211,135,000 after purchasing an additional 176,308 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 421,760 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $211,667,000 after purchasing an additional 33,489 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stephens raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $539.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,476.19. This represents a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043. Insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.5 %

MUSA stock traded up $2.61 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $505.22. The company had a trading volume of 235,533 shares, compared to its average volume of 200,349. The stock has a market cap of $10.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.88 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $476.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $494.44. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $403.37 and a 12 month high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.26%.

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.