Highland Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 2,981 Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Highland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 2,981 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,063,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Headinvest LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at $138,000. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 40.6% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 31,087 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,623,000 after buying an additional 8,972 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 1.9% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 164,400 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $56,180,000 after buying an additional 2,996 shares during the period. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at $4,654,000. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 88.1% during the third quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 7,066 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,415,000 after buying an additional 3,309 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE MUSA opened at $417.06 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $394.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $371.86. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $248.75 and a twelve month high of $426.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15. The company has a market capitalization of $8.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.35 and a beta of 0.77.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.79 by $1.21. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 70.92% and a net margin of 2.59%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.21 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 6.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $375.00 to $425.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Murphy USA from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $395.60.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total value of $503,830.60. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,564 shares in the company, valued at $8,797,249.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total value of $2,837,410.72. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,607,700.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total value of $503,830.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,564 shares in the company, valued at $8,797,249.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,440 shares of company stock worth $4,244,582. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

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.