Brown Advisory Inc. Has $41.63 Million Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Brown Advisory Inc. decreased its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 3.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 88,600 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 3,497 shares during the quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. owned approximately 0.45% of Murphy USA worth $41,625,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA during the first quarter worth $40,000. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 1st quarter worth $59,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $64,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 63.5% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 18.7% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 203 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MUSA shares. KeyCorp decreased their target price 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Raymond James Financial lowered Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $526.29.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded up $11.11 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $424.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 209,838 shares, compared to its average volume of 228,084. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $434.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $465.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.90 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $385.44 and a one year 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 company 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%. Murphy USA's revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.12 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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

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.