Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 55,485 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 3,022 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.27% of Murphy USA worth $27,840,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,207,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at $11,529,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 69.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $211,135,000 after acquiring an additional 176,308 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 58.6% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,838 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $922,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 46.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 9,890 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,874,000 after purchasing an additional 3,135 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded up $4.36 during trading on Friday, reaching $490.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 163,564 shares, compared to its average volume of 204,509. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $470.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $493.62. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $382.04 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The firm has a market cap of $9.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.28 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MUSA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $539.00.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

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.