Fruth Investment Management Sells 120 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Fruth Investment Management trimmed its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,556 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 120 shares during the quarter. Murphy USA comprises about 1.0% of Fruth Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Fruth Investment Management’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $3,791,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MUSA. FMR LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 6.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,751,206 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 99,253 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 590,558 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $291,068,000 after purchasing an additional 8,507 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 69.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $211,135,000 after buying an additional 176,308 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 49,501.3% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 388,874 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $191,664,000 after buying an additional 388,090 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 4.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 388,271 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $191,407,000 after buying an additional 16,006 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $509.40.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $516.88 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.32 and a beta of 0.79. The business has a 50 day moving average of $510.59 and a 200-day moving average of $507.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.41. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $358.51 and a 1 year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 62.73% and a net margin of 2.48%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.62 earnings per share for the current year.

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.