Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Position Increased by RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC

RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,377 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 978 shares during the period. Murphy USA accounts for approximately 2.7% of RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC owned about 0.08% of Murphy USA worth $7,715,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Atria Investments Inc increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 1,669 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $823,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 6.8% during the third quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,345 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,156,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 14.6% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,294 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,609,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $433,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its position in Murphy USA by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 476 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $235,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE MUSA opened at $448.31 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $382.04 and a 52 week high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $481.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $500.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53 and a beta of 0.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on MUSA. StockNews.com raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Melius started coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $525.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

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.