Bridges Investment Management Inc. Has $996,000 Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 16.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,986 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $996,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 348.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $510.80.

Murphy USA Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of MUSA stock opened at $469.63 on Monday. 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 has a market capitalization of $9.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.41 and a beta of 0.79. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $488.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $503.49.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.49 dividend. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 8.10%.

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.