Highland Capital Management LLC Takes $1.06 Million Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Highland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,981 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,063,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Headinvest LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at $138,000. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 40.6% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 31,087 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $10,623,000 after purchasing an additional 8,972 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 1.9% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 164,400 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $56,180,000 after purchasing an additional 2,996 shares in the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the third quarter worth $4,654,000. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 88.1% in the third quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 7,066 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,415,000 after purchasing an additional 3,309 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE:MUSA traded up $2.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $419.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 169,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 202,549. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $248.75 and a fifty-two week high of $426.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15. The company has a market capitalization of $8.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.43 and a beta of 0.77. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $395.15 and a 200-day moving average of $372.19.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.79 by $1.21. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 70.92%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.21 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.40%. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 6.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MUSA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $375.00 to $425.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $395.60.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total transaction of $2,837,410.72. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,607,700.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Murphy USA news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total value of $2,837,410.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,607,700.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total transaction of $503,830.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 21,564 shares in the company, valued at $8,797,249.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,440 shares of company stock valued at $4,244,582 over the last three months. 9.04% of the stock is owned by 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.