Hsbc Holdings PLC Buys New Stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 3,583 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,800,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth about $67,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stephens upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 26th. Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $539.00.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of MUSA traded up $3.70 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $506.31. 22,747 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 199,515. The stock's 50-day moving average is $476.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $494.44. 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 Inc. has a 12 month low of $403.37 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The stock has a market cap of $10.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.90 and a beta of 0.59.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. Research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. 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 dividend yield of 0.40%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.26%.

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.