Bridges Investment Management Inc. Boosts Stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 103.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,040 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,054 shares during the quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,898,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 53,469.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 553,906 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $260,231,000 after acquiring an additional 552,872 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $112,741,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $53,777,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in 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. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 363.2% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 54,471 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,331,000 after purchasing an additional 42,712 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David C. Haley acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 10.12% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE MUSA traded down $1.47 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $425.49. 336,541 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 229,856. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $429.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $463.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. The company has a market capitalization of $8.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.95 and a beta of 0.48. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $385.44 and a 52-week high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.87 by ($1.24). The firm had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.79 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.19% and a net margin of 2.46%. The firm's revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.12 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial downgraded Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Stephens cut their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report 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 research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $526.29.

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.