Neuberger Berman Group LLC Sells 29 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Neuberger Berman Group LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,649 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 29 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,333,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68,062 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $34,150,000 after buying an additional 9,911 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at $53,777,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 470,602 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $236,125,000 after acquiring an additional 18,097 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 2,954 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,482,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,783,849 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $895,046,000 after purchasing an additional 32,643 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. KeyCorp started coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Friday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $550.00 price objective on the stock. Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Stephens raised shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $539.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 transaction of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Up 6.7 %

Shares of MUSA opened at $514.54 on Friday. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $468.08 and a 200 day moving average of $492.49. The company has a market cap of $10.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.26 and a beta of 0.73. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $382.04 and a 52-week high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current 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 represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 8.10%.

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.