Kestra Investment Management LLC Decreases Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Kestra Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 23.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 634 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 189 shares during the quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $318,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $478.63 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $499.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $505.76. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The company has a market capitalization of $9.69 billion, a PE ratio of 19.78 and a beta of 0.79.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. On average, equities analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This is a boost 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 0.41%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 7.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note 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 company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $510.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 9.73% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.