Jeanne Linder Phillips Sells 797 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Stock

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE MUSA traded down $3.99 on Wednesday, reaching $467.01. The company had a trading volume of 306,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 191,377. The company’s fifty day moving average is $487.20 and its 200-day moving average is $502.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.30 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $382.04 and a 1-year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. On average, research analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.42%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on MUSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $510.80.

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.