6,503 Shares in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Purchased by Nomura Holdings Inc.

Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 6,503 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,263,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% during the fourth 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 bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $64,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of MUSA traded up $1.24 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $458.76. The stock had a trading volume of 239,562 shares, compared to its average volume of 210,137. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $474.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $493.20. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $424.03 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.96 and a beta of 0.59.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. The firm had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.12 EPS. The company's revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,476.19. This represents a 25.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MUSA. KeyCorp decreased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. StockNews.com cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Stephens reduced their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $526.29.

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.