Bank of Nova Scotia cut its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA – Get Rating) by 49.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,589 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,573 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $444,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MUSA. BerganKDV Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 28.1% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 155 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Paragon Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. Paragon Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 250 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Covington Capital Management purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $61,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 20.8% in the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 383 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 85.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Murphy USA Trading Up 1.9 %
NYSE MUSA opened at $279.93 on Thursday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $217.39 and a 12 month high of $323.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $267.62 and a 200-day moving average of $272.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.50, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a market cap of $6.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.44 and a beta of 0.80.
Murphy USA Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 12th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 5.67%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 1,075 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.72, for a total transaction of $298,549.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,849,892.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 1,075 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.72, for a total transaction of $298,549.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,849,892.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 550 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.97, for a total transaction of $156,183.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $816,129.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,628 shares of company stock valued at $455,611. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $335.00 to $305.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $325.00 to $330.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $315.60.
About Murphy USA
Murphy USA, Inc engages in marketing motor fuel products and convenience merchandise through retail stores, namely Murphy USA and Murphy Express. It collaborates with Walmart to offer customers discounted and free items based on purchases of qualifying fuel and merchandise. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in El Dorado, AR.
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