Rhumbline Advisers Sells 91 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Rhumbline Advisers trimmed its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,320 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 91 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned approximately 0.27% of Murphy USA worth $27,255,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. 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 stake 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 acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 348.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA opened at $478.63 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $499.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $505.76. The company has a market capitalization of $9.69 billion, a PE ratio of 19.78 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.41%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 7.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 9.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.