River Road Asset Management LLC Has $173.83 Million Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

River Road Asset Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 346,445 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 20,946 shares during the period. Murphy USA makes up about 2.3% of River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. River Road Asset Management LLC owned 1.71% of Murphy USA worth $173,829,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $50,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm’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 value of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 over the last quarter. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $510.80.

Murphy USA Trading Up 2.6 %

NYSE MUSA opened at $467.37 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $382.04 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $483.94 and a 200-day moving average of $501.77. The firm has a market cap of $9.35 billion, a PE ratio of 19.31 and a beta of 0.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. Murphy USA’s 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.