Enhancing Capital LLC Takes $523,000 Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Enhancing Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,042 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $523,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 17.0% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 1,669 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $823,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at $433,000. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 9.9% during 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 during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the third quarter worth about $1,599,000. Finally, Lindenwold Advisors INC boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 3.7% in the third quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 1,089 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $537,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 transaction of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 in the last ninety days. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Trading Down 2.3 %

NYSE MUSA opened at $440.63 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $478.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $499.33. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $382.04 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The company has a market capitalization of $8.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.21 and a beta of 0.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted 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. StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Melius started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target for the company. Finally, Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued 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.com, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $525.67.

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.