Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Bought by Northern Trust Corp

Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 24.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 212,247 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 41,295 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.05% of Murphy USA worth $106,495,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,864,405 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $935,465,000 after buying an additional 54,658 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,783,849 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $895,046,000 after buying an additional 32,643 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 470,602 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $236,125,000 after purchasing an additional 18,097 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Murphy USA by 69.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $211,135,000 after buying an additional 176,308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 421,760 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $211,667,000 after purchasing an additional 33,489 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.5 %

MUSA stock traded up $2.61 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $505.22. 235,552 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 200,349. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $403.37 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $476.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $494.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.00 billion, a PE ratio of 20.88 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.74 by ($1.11). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. On average, 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MUSA has been the topic of several analyst reports. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 26th. Stephens raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $539.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.