Hancock Whitney Corp Trims Stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Hancock Whitney Corp lessened its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,092 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 544 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company'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 transaction of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were 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. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last three months. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Murphy USA Trading Down 0.4 %

Murphy USA stock traded down $2.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $499.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 58,868 shares, compared to its average volume of 204,030. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $471.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $493.81. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $382.04 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The stock has a market cap of $9.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.63 and a beta of 0.73. 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 (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share 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 forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.39%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stephens raised Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. 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 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target 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.