Lindenwold Advisors INC Reduces Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Lindenwold Advisors INC lessened its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,054 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 35 shares during the quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $529,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. 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 worth $50,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the company’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 in the company, valued at $1,062,476.19. This represents a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 over the last three months. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE MUSA opened at $434.72 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The company has a fifty day moving average of $477.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $498.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.96 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $382.04 and a 52 week 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 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, analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share 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 paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 8.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on MUSA shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target 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. 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. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Melius started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.