Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Buys 480 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 11.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,812 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 480 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,414,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MUSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Melius Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. 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. Finally, Melius began 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 issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $525.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $452.64 on Monday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $382.04 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $479.79 and its 200 day moving average is $499.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.70 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Research 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 announced 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 was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.