Swiss National Bank Sells 1,000 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Swiss National Bank trimmed its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA – Get Rating) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 53,567 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.24% of Murphy USA worth $14,974,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 22.7% during the 4th quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 8,267 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,311,000 after purchasing an additional 1,528 shares during the period. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at $201,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at $602,000. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 11,489 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,212,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 21.6% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 613 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. 85.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 550 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.97, for a total transaction of $156,183.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $816,129.78. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $283.83 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $217.39 and a 52 week high of $323.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.58 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $263.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $274.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.50.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $4.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.18 by $0.62. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 86.87%. The business had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.95 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.08 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 18.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 12th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 5.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MUSA. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $325.00 to $330.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $335.00 to $305.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $315.60.

About Murphy USA

(Get Rating)

Murphy USA, Inc engages in marketing motor fuel products and convenience merchandise through retail stores, namely Murphy USA and Murphy Express. It collaborates with Walmart to offer customers discounted and free items based on purchases of qualifying fuel and merchandise. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in El Dorado, AR.