Barclays PLC Buys 21,118 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 213.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 31,008 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 21,118 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.15% of Murphy USA worth $15,559,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter worth approximately $1,136,000. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter worth $30,122,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at $374,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 122.8% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 2,966 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 1,635 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 126,419 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $61,873,000 after purchasing an additional 11,103 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business'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 directly owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. Insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA traded up $1.57 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $487.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 40,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 244,436. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $470.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $493.56. The stock has a market cap of $9.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.16 and a beta of 0.73. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (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%. Research analysts expect 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 was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MUSA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Melius started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp began coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Stephens upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $539.00.

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.