Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by Lindenwold Advisors INC

Lindenwold Advisors INC reduced its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,054 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 35 shares during the period. Lindenwold Advisors INC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $529,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atria Investments Inc grew its position in Murphy USA by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 1,669 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $823,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $433,000. KBC Group NV grew its position in Murphy USA by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 476 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $235,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,599,000. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 2.0% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 6,129 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,021,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 at this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA opened at $434.72 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $477.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $498.73. 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 company has a market capitalization of $8.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.96 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $382.04 and a 52-week high of $561.08.

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, 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%. Research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MUSA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $525.67.

Murphy USA 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.