Independent Advisor Alliance Invests $234,000 in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Independent Advisor Alliance acquired a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $234,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,812 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,414,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $4,060,000. Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $2,536,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $53,777,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $5,042,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Up 2.0 %

Murphy USA stock opened at $443.52 on Thursday. 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $382.04 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $476.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $498.34. The company has a market cap of $8.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.33 and a beta of 0.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on MUSA. Melius assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average 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.