American Century Companies Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,040 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.19% of Murphy USA worth $19,683,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of MUSA opened at $459.90 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $471.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $495.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.00 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $382.04 and a 12-month high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. Equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. This is a boost 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on MUSA shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. 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 research report on Friday, February 7th. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius began coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $525.67.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction 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 approximately $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.