Blue Trust Inc. Has $430,000 Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 56.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 917 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 331 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $430,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,925,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth about $1,629,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 23.6% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,221 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,505,000 after acquiring an additional 806 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 128,194 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,709,000 after purchasing an additional 17,077 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in Murphy USA by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 117,096 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $41,752,000 after acquiring an additional 2,199 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE MUSA traded up $7.36 on Friday, hitting $511.48. 120,517 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 209,710. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $307.45 and a 52-week high of $521.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.50 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $486.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $439.33.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The specialty retailer reported $6.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.91 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.69 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.73% and a net margin of 2.50%. Murphy USA’s revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.02 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 24.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 26th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 854 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $438.75, for a total transaction of $374,692.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 20,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,818,436.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 10,392 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $440.32, for a total transaction of $4,575,805.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 199,563 shares in the company, valued at $87,871,580.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 854 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $438.75, for a total transaction of $374,692.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 20,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,818,436.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 41,455 shares of company stock worth $20,492,084 in the last ninety days. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $469.50.

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.