Voloridge Investment Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 6.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,910 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 4,390 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.37% of Murphy USA worth $37,586,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MUSA. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at about $112,741,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 69.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $211,135,000 after buying an additional 176,308 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,777,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,864,405 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $935,465,000 after buying an additional 54,658 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 363.2% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 54,471 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $27,331,000 after acquiring an additional 42,712 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33% 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 Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA opened at $443.56 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market cap of $8.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.33 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50-day moving average of $474.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $492.42. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $424.03 and a 12-month high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.12 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on MUSA. Melius started coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. KeyCorp decreased 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. Finally, Stephens reduced their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $526.29.

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.

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