Nuveen Asset Management LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,188 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 6,787 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.37% of Murphy USA worth $37,224,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $64,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on MUSA. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Stephens lowered their price objective on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $526.29.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA stock traded up $4.94 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $444.24. 415,374 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 212,418. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $474.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $491.57. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $424.03 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The company has a market capitalization of $8.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.36 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.44%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by 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.