Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by Cadence Bank

Cadence Bank cut its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 0.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 414,675 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 45 shares during the period. Murphy USA comprises approximately 14.1% of Cadence Bank’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Cadence Bank’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $208,063,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at about $112,741,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 69.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $211,135,000 after purchasing an additional 176,308 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,777,000. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,122,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Murphy USA by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,864,405 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $935,465,000 after buying an additional 54,658 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $511.03 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $10.12 billion, a PE ratio of 21.12 and a beta of 0.73. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $468.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $492.85. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current 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 $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Melius began coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price 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, KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $550.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $539.00.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 value of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

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.