London Co. of Virginia Sells 1,865 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

London Co. of Virginia lowered its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 205,867 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,865 shares during the period. London Co. of Virginia’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $103,294,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at $112,741,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 69.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $211,135,000 after buying an additional 176,308 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at $53,777,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,864,405 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $935,465,000 after buying an additional 54,658 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 363.2% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 54,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,331,000 after buying an additional 42,712 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA opened at $445.45 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $476.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $494.37. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $422.66 and a 1 year 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 firm has a market capitalization of $8.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.41 and a beta of 0.59.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. The business had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.12 EPS. Murphy USA’s revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 8.44%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on MUSA. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Melius began coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Stephens cut their target price on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $526.29.

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.