Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Has $8.01 Million Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 21.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,967 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 2,840 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned about 0.08% of Murphy USA worth $8,011,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,638,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth about $12,386,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 194.0% during the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 54,733 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $27,462,000 after purchasing an additional 36,117 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 144,973 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $72,301,000 after buying an additional 3,025 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Murphy USA by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 212,247 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $106,495,000 after buying an additional 41,295 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 directly 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043. Insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded up $2.61 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $505.22. 235,552 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 199,765. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.88 and a beta of 0.59. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $476.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $494.52. 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 $404.33 and a 1-year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.74 by ($1.11). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.12 EPS. Murphy USA's revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 8.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on MUSA. StockNews.com upgraded Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 26th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Stephens raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price 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.