Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by SouthState Corp

SouthState Corp cut its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 24.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 592 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 189 shares during the period. SouthState Corp’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atria Investments Inc lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 1,669 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $823,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. bought a new position in Murphy USA during the third quarter worth $433,000. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 9.9% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 476 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $235,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the third quarter worth $1,599,000. Finally, Lindenwold Advisors INC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 3.7% during the third quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 1,089 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $537,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA opened at $440.63 on Tuesday. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The stock has a market cap of $8.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.21 and a beta of 0.80. The business’s 50 day moving average is $478.57 and its 200-day moving average is $499.33. 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 (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, analysts predict 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 issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 upped their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Melius started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $525.67.

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.