Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by Leeward Investments LLC MA

Leeward Investments LLC MA reduced its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 35.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 33,812 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 18,871 shares during the quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA owned about 0.17% of Murphy USA worth $15,885,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. US Bancorp DE grew its position in Murphy USA by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,444 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,230,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 144.2% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 293 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $147,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 36,753 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $18,441,000 after purchasing an additional 1,513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atria Investments Inc raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 1,924 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $965,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.5%

Murphy USA stock traded up $2.27 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $425.28. The stock had a trading volume of 256,691 shares, compared to its average volume of 227,711. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $437.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $466.30. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $385.44 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.40 billion, a PE ratio of 17.94 and a beta of 0.48.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued 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). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.19% and a net margin of 2.46%. The firm had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.12 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MUSA shares. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Raymond James Financial cut Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Stephens reduced their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $526.29.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, Director David C. Haley bought 1,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $435,580. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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.