Clearbridge Investments LLC Trims Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Clearbridge Investments LLC decreased its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 270,122 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 7,760 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 1.45% of Murphy USA worth $109,000,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MUSA. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 318.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 424,818 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $164,940,000 after buying an additional 323,331 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 676.7% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 170,215 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $69,243,000 after buying an additional 148,301 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $50,726,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1,723.1% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 132,450 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $53,446,000 after buying an additional 125,185 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 4,972.5% in the 3rd quarter. Recurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 100,942 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $39,192,000 after buying an additional 98,952 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $547.31 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $10.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $531.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $455.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.48. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $345.23 and a 1-year high of $609.82.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.37 by $1.91. The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. Murphy USA's quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.63 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 32.32 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a dividend of $0.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $450.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America raised shares of Murphy USA from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the company from $350.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $510.00 to $517.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $560.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $503.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 517 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $574.49, for a total value of $297,011.33. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $287,245. The trade was a 50.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 158 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.50, for a total transaction of $94,879.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 476 shares in the company, valued at $285,838. This represents a 24.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 43,225 shares of company stock worth $25,721,642 in the last quarter. 9.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company's primary operations center on two retail formats.

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