Norges Bank Takes Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Norges Bank purchased a new position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 224,696 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $112,741,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 1.11% of Murphy USA as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 186.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth about $67,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director now owns 2,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last three months. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MUSA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Melius initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. One 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 MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $525.67.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA stock opened at $475.95 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $471.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $494.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.67 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 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.41%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 8.10%.

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.