Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by SouthState Corp

SouthState Corp reduced its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 24.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 592 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 189 shares during the period. SouthState Corp’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $297,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 186.1% in the 4th 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 acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Melius started coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $525.67.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Trading Down 2.3 %

NYSE MUSA opened at $440.63 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.21 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $382.04 and a one year high of $561.08. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $478.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $499.33.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

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.