K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc Takes Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 7,100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,532,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Murphy USA by 191.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Key Financial Inc lifted its position in Murphy USA by 942.9% during the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 146 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Murphy USA by 34.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. now owns 174 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MUSA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $375.00 to $425.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $408.60.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of MUSA traded up $0.80 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $421.34. The company had a trading volume of 160,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 205,439. The stock has a market cap of $8.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.49 and a beta of 0.76. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $414.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $382.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.93 and a 52 week high of $430.83.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.79 by $1.21. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 70.92% and a net margin of 2.59%. The business had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.32 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.21 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.29 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 6.59%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total transaction of $2,837,410.72. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,607,700.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Murphy USA news, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total value of $275,925.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,002,722.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total value of $2,837,410.72. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,448 shares in the company, valued at $2,607,700.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,440 shares of company stock valued at $4,244,582. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

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.