Proficio Capital Partners LLC Purchases New Shares in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,049 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $5,042,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 348.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $510.80.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.0 %

Murphy USA stock opened at $464.59 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $488.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $503.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $382.04 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.20 and a beta of 0.79.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share 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%. On average, analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the company’s 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

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.