Bank of America Corp DE Has $40.05 Million Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Bank of America Corp DE lowered its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 17.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 79,811 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 17,171 shares during the quarter. Bank of America Corp DE owned approximately 0.39% of Murphy USA worth $40,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at about $64,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at $67,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA stock traded down $11.25 on Wednesday, hitting $445.16. 20,816 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 209,565. 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 1-year low of $424.03 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The company's fifty day moving average is $474.68 and its 200 day moving average is $492.76. The company has a market capitalization of $8.80 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40 and a beta of 0.59.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. The company had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.79 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.12 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is 8.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. KeyCorp cut their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Raymond James lowered Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $526.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Murphy USA news, 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 value of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.