Deutsche Bank AG Acquires 5,555 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 49.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 16,752 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 5,555 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned 0.08% of Murphy USA worth $8,405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $50,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $64,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA stock traded down $3.07 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $439.90. 27,419 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 210,007. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $474.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $492.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $424.03 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.18 and a beta of 0.59.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. The firm had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.12 EPS. The business's revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 8.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MUSA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James downgraded Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Stephens lowered their target price on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $526.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 10.12% of the company's stock.

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.