Cadence Bank Cuts Stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Cadence Bank decreased its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 0.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 414,675 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 45 shares during the period. Murphy USA makes up about 14.1% of Cadence Bank’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Cadence Bank owned about 2.05% of Murphy USA worth $208,063,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 37.0% during the fourth 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 grew its position in Murphy USA by 186.1% in 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 in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA opened at $511.03 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $468.99 and its 200-day moving average is $492.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.12 billion, a PE ratio of 21.12 and a beta of 0.73. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $382.04 and a fifty-two week 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 the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. Equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MUSA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $550.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stephens raised shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $539.00.

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.