KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Makes New Investment in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 5,900 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,960,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. AXQ Capital LP purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $297,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 39,228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $19,683,000 after acquiring an additional 3,040 shares in the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $915,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 6,559 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,291,000 after purchasing an additional 979 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in Murphy USA by 123.4% during the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,108 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $556,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Melius assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $525.67.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.7 %

Murphy USA stock opened at $457.89 on Thursday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $472.49 and its 200-day moving average is $496.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $9.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.92 and a beta of 0.80.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business’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 transaction, the chief marketing officer now 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 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 over the last three months. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Company 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.