O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Sells 75 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,195 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 75 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $3,610,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 22.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 8,385 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,133,000 after purchasing an additional 1,526 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $1,207,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $11,529,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 69.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $211,135,000 after acquiring an additional 176,308 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 622.9% in the third quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 4,048 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,995,000 after purchasing an additional 3,488 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MUSA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Melius started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $480.64 on Thursday. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $382.04 and a one year high of $561.08. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $471.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $494.19. The stock has a market cap of $9.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.86 and a beta of 0.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.49 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

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.