Triasima Portfolio Management inc. Buys 3,015 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Triasima Portfolio Management inc. grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 146.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,070 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 3,015 shares during the quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc.'s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,808,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MUSA. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 191.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Murphy USA by 34.2% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 153 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. increased its position in Murphy USA by 42.6% in the third quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. now owns 174 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Covington Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at $61,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total transaction of $275,925.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,413 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,002,722.15. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total value of $275,925.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,002,722.15. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the firm's 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 owns 21,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,797,249.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,440 shares of company stock valued at $4,244,582. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Murphy USA from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $375.00 to $425.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $404.60.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE MUSA traded up $1.48 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $412.24. The company had a trading volume of 160,771 shares, compared to its average volume of 199,602. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $265.49 and a twelve month high of $430.83. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $408.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $378.70. 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 $8.58 billion, a PE ratio of 16.16 and a beta of 0.76.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $5.79 by $1.21. The business had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 70.92% and a net margin of 2.59%. Murphy USA's quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.21 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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

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.