Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Bought by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 183,041 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,641 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 0.90% of Murphy USA worth $91,841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Impax Asset Management Group plc purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at $623,000. TCW Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $7,332,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 2,212 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,110,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 107,752 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $54,065,000 after acquiring an additional 2,183 shares during the period. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 110.3% during the fourth quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $174,000 after acquiring an additional 3,700 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on MUSA shares. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $510.80.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $469.63 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.41 and a beta of 0.79. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $488.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $503.49. 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 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. 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. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

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.