10,049 Shares in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Acquired by Proficio Capital Partners LLC

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 10,049 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $5,042,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 186.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,062,476.19. This represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last quarter. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $452.64 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a PE ratio of 18.70 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $479.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $499.82. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. Analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 8.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MUSA. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius began coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

Murphy USA 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.