827 Shares in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Purchased by Gardner Lewis Asset Management L P

Gardner Lewis Asset Management L P bought a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 827 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $415,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 391 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $193,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Murphy USA by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 347 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $174,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,444 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,230,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 967 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $485,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% in the fourth 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. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This represents a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $461.27 on Friday. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $472.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $495.86. The stock has a market cap of $9.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.06 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $382.04 and a 1-year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its 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%. Analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MUSA shares. 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 Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Melius began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

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.