Freestone Grove Partners LP Makes New Investment in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 24,686 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $12,386,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP owned 0.12% of Murphy USA at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 194.0% in the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 54,733 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $27,462,000 after purchasing an additional 36,117 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 144,973 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $72,301,000 after acquiring an additional 3,025 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Murphy USA by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 212,247 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $106,495,000 after purchasing an additional 41,295 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $147,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $64,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.9 %

Murphy USA stock traded up $4.60 on Monday, hitting $507.83. 179,363 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 200,625. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $474.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $494.19. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $393.22 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The firm has a market cap of $10.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.98 and a beta of 0.73. 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 (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.39%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following 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 trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MUSA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $539.00.

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.