KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Makes New $2.96 Million Investment in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 5,900 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,960,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 26.5% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 8,758 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,317,000 after purchasing an additional 1,836 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 81.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,437 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $708,000 after buying an additional 647 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 5.4% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 391 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $193,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 7.3% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 547 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $270,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 6.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,751,206 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $863,116,000 after buying an additional 99,253 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $457.89 on Thursday. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $382.04 and a one year high of $561.08. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $472.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $496.10. The company has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.92 and a beta of 0.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced 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%. Analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 8.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MUSA shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. 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. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.