Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by Fiera Capital Corp

Key Points

• Fiera Capital Corp reduced its stake in Murphy USA by 3.1%, maintaining ownership of approximately 0.52% of the company valued at around $48.3 million.
• Research analysts have lowered their price targets for Murphy USA, with Stephens setting it at $475, and the stock currently holds a "Moderate Buy" consensus rating.
• Murphy USA has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, an increase from the previous $0.49, representing a dividend yield of 0.48%.

Fiera Capital Corp decreased its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 3.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 102,809 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 3,265 shares during the period. Fiera Capital Corp owned about 0.52% of Murphy USA worth $48,301,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. GW&K Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the first quarter worth $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the first quarter worth $40,000. CX Institutional purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the first quarter worth $59,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $64,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 63.5% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MUSA shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Stephens dropped their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $484.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, Director David C. Haley acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE:MUSA traded down $0.52 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $361.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 477,050 shares, compared to its average volume of 293,497. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $345.23 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $7.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.99 and a beta of 0.48. The business's fifty day moving average is $418.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $456.06.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.54. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 61.57%. The company had revenue of $5.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.92 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.