Twinbeech Capital LP Sells 15,932 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Twinbeech Capital LP trimmed its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 37.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,066 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 15,932 shares during the period. Twinbeech Capital LP owned about 0.13% of Murphy USA worth $13,079,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $64,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE:MUSA traded up $4.94 on Friday, hitting $444.24. 415,374 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 212,418. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $424.03 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $474.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $491.69. The company has a market cap of $8.78 billion, a PE ratio of 18.36 and a beta of 0.59.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.12 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 8.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MUSA. Melius began coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp reduced 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. Wall Street Zen cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Raymond James cut Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $526.29.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,476.19. This represents a 25.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.