Corient Private Wealth LLC Has $6.50 Million Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Corient Private Wealth LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 12,960 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 317 shares during the quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $6,503,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of MUSA opened at $438.17 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.11 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $382.04 and a 52 week high of $561.08. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $475.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $497.92.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MUSA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. 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. Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

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.