MML Investors Services LLC Purchases 753 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

MML Investors Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,071 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 753 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $4,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Barclays PLC boosted 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 valued at $4,874,000 after purchasing an additional 3,135 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,136,000. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the third quarter worth $30,122,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at $374,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 122.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 2,966 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,462,000 after acquiring an additional 1,635 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MUSA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 26th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target for the company. 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, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $539.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction 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 represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE MUSA traded up $2.08 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $500.65. 31,176 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 203,824. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $382.04 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $473.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $493.84. The firm has a market cap of $9.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.67 and a beta of 0.73.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, beating 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, analysts expect 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 was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.39%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

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.