Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by Corebridge Financial Inc.

Corebridge Financial Inc. lessened its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,060 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,209 shares during the quarter. Corebridge Financial Inc. owned about 0.10% of Murphy USA worth $10,567,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA opened at $457.89 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.92 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a 50-day moving average of $472.49 and a 200-day moving average of $496.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $382.04 and a 1-year 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 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%. Equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors 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 is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MUSA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective 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. Melius started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $525.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business’s 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 over the last 90 days. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.