Baird Financial Group Inc. Purchases 6,858 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 112,208 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 6,858 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.55% of Murphy USA worth $56,300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 186.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE MUSA traded up $2.61 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $505.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 235,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 199,765. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $404.33 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $476.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $494.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The company has a market cap of $10.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.88 and a beta of 0.59.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.74 by ($1.11). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.12 earnings per share. Murphy USA's revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.26%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, 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 have sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 26th. Finally, Stephens raised Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $539.00.

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.