BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. Makes New $1.41 Million Investment in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. acquired a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,800 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,405,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,864,405 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $935,465,000 after purchasing an additional 54,658 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,783,849 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $895,046,000 after acquiring an additional 32,643 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 470,602 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $236,125,000 after acquiring an additional 18,097 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Murphy USA by 69.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $211,135,000 after acquiring an additional 176,308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the company'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 value of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. 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 three months. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MUSA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Melius assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target for the company. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $539.00.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA stock traded up $2.61 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $505.22. The company had a trading volume of 235,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 199,765. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $404.33 and a one year high of $561.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.00 billion, a P/E 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 stock's 50-day simple moving average is $476.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $494.52.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm 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%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 8.26%.

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.