Proficio Capital Partners LLC Takes $5.04 Million Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 10,049 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $5,042,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 69.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $211,135,000 after purchasing an additional 176,308 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted 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 valued at $863,116,000 after purchasing an additional 99,253 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,122,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at $18,971,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $11,529,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $452.64 on Monday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $382.04 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $479.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $499.82. The stock has a market cap of $9.06 billion, a PE ratio of 18.70 and a beta of 0.80.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on MUSA shares. Melius started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $525.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $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 have sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Company Profile

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.