Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Holdings Reduced by Corebridge Financial Inc.

Corebridge Financial Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 21,060 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,209 shares during the quarter. Corebridge Financial Inc.’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $10,567,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at about $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $457.89 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $382.04 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $472.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $496.10.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (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, research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MUSA. Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. One investment 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 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 at this link. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.