24,686 Shares in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Purchased by Freestone Grove Partners LP

Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 24,686 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $12,386,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP owned about 0.12% of Murphy USA at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,864,405 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $935,465,000 after purchasing an additional 54,658 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,783,849 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $895,046,000 after buying an additional 32,643 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 470,602 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $236,125,000 after buying an additional 18,097 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 69.9% during the third 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. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 421,760 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $211,667,000 after acquiring an additional 33,489 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MUSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price 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. Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 26th. Finally, Stephens upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $539.00.

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded up $6.71 on Wednesday, reaching $509.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 39,937 shares, compared to its average volume of 240,186. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $404.33 and a 52 week high of $561.08. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $476.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $494.44. The company has a market capitalization of $10.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.05 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. Equities analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.39%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $939,160.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.