Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Trims Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lowered its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 34.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,710 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 1,400 shares during the quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,273,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management grew its stake in Murphy USA by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 8,938 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,485,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in Murphy USA by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 630 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, NDVR Inc. lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. NDVR Inc. now owns 715 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $359,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA traded up $10.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $424.06. The company had a trading volume of 356,353 shares, compared to its average volume of 217,735. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $468.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $483.85. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $406.94 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The company has a market capitalization of $8.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.52 and a beta of 0.50.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. The firm had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.79 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.12 EPS. Murphy USA's revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase 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 of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Stephens lowered their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Melius assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. KeyCorp dropped their price target on 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, Raymond James downgraded Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $526.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David C. Haley purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $435,580. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA 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.