Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by Zhang Financial LLC

Zhang Financial LLC decreased its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 13.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 460 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 69 shares during the quarter. Zhang Financial LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 40.4% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 186.1% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 348.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Key Financial Inc boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 942.9% in the third quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 146 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth about $94,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $509.40.

Murphy USA Trading Down 1.4 %

MUSA stock opened at $475.85 on Tuesday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $350.55 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19. The firm has a market cap of $9.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.63 and a beta of 0.80. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $520.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $505.97.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.64 by $0.56. The company had revenue of $5.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 62.73% and a net margin of 2.48%. Murphy USA’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $7.69 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 7.92%.

About Murphy USA

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.