V Square Quantitative Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 37.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $50,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 49,501.3% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 388,874 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $191,664,000 after purchasing an additional 388,090 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 69.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $211,135,000 after purchasing an additional 176,308 shares in the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $53,387,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 6.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,122,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $485.65 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.07 and a beta of 0.79. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $382.04 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $502.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $506.16.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. Equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $510.80.

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.