Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Acquired by Pinebridge Investments L.P.

Pinebridge Investments L.P. lifted its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 42.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,180 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 1,849 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments L.P.'s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $3,101,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% in 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 period. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last 90 days. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.1 %

MUSA traded up $0.64 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $499.21. 37,276 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 203,846. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $473.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $493.84. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $382.04 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a PE ratio of 20.63 and a beta of 0.73.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. As a group, 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 was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.39%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Melius started coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. Stephens raised Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 26th. Finally, KeyCorp assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $539.00.

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.