Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 956 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $479,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 81.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,437 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $708,000 after buying an additional 647 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the third quarter worth about $204,000. Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its position in Murphy USA by 39.7% during the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 598 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the third quarter valued at approximately $222,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $18,971,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Trading Down 2.4 %

MUSA stock opened at $470.95 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $9.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.46 and a beta of 0.73. The business’s 50-day moving average is $471.35 and its 200 day moving average is $493.42. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $382.04 and a 12-month high of $561.08. 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 (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS 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 $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.42%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 8.10%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director now 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on MUSA. StockNews.com cut shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $525.67.

Murphy USA Company 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.