PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Has $4.54 Million Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lessened its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 9,051 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 36 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $4,541,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Atria Investments Inc increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 6.8% during the third quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,345 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,156,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 14.6% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,294 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,609,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the third quarter worth $433,000. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 476 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $235,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Melius started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the completion of 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 at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Trading Down 0.8 %

MUSA stock opened at $448.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08. 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $481.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $500.83.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company 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. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

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.