River Road Asset Management LLC Reduces Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

River Road Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 346,445 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 20,946 shares during the period. Murphy USA makes up about 2.3% of River Road Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $173,829,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 90.1% during the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 30,152 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $15,129,000 after acquiring an additional 14,287 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at about $234,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in Murphy USA by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,812 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,414,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,060,000. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $2,536,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now 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 sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Trading Up 2.6 %

NYSE:MUSA opened at $467.37 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $9.35 billion, a PE ratio of 19.31 and a beta of 0.80. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $483.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $501.77. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $382.04 and a 12 month high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is an increase 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.42%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MUSA shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report 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 decreased 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $510.80.

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.