Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by River Road Asset Management LLC

River Road Asset Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 390,058 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 38,937 shares during the quarter. Murphy USA makes up 1.9% of River Road Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $139,079,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in Murphy USA by 23.6% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,221 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,505,000 after acquiring an additional 806 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,629,000. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 146.7% in the fourth quarter. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. now owns 5,070 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,808,000 after buying an additional 3,015 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,925,000. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 18,801 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,704,000 after buying an additional 2,471 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MUSA traded up $3.50 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $421.11. 336,479 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 204,854. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $410.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $379.97. The stock has a market cap of $8.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.38 and a beta of 0.76. Murphy USA Inc. has a one year low of $265.49 and a one year high of $430.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.79 by $1.21. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 70.92%. The company’s revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.21 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 6.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MUSA. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $470.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $375.00 to $425.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $404.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total value of $275,925.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,002,722.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total value of $275,925.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,002,722.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total transaction of $503,830.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,797,249.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,440 shares of company stock valued at $4,244,582 over the last 90 days. 9.73% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.