Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Sets New 52-Week High Following Dividend Announcement

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday after the company announced a dividend. The stock traded as high as $431.10 and last traded at $431.10, with a volume of 166502 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $418.29.The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MUSA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $408.60.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.27 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.87. The business's fifty day moving average price is $414.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $386.10.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The specialty retailer reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.97). The company had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.89 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.45% and a net margin of 2.43%. Murphy USA's revenue for the quarter was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.80 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total value of $503,830.60. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,564 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,797,249.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Murphy USA news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total value of $503,830.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 21,564 shares in the company, valued at $8,797,249.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $82,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,645 shares of company stock valued at $4,326,582. 9.73% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,080,410 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $369,208,000 after buying an additional 140,879 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 30.8% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 308,398 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $105,389,000 after acquiring an additional 72,537 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 35,556.0% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 269,916 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $96,241,000 after purchasing an additional 269,159 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $81,560,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 194,560 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $69,372,000 after purchasing an additional 1,986 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Murphy USA

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.

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