Chilton Investment Co. Inc. Sells 2,785 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Chilton Investment Co. Inc. lessened its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 14.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,475 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,785 shares during the quarter. Chilton Investment Co. Inc.’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $6,397,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 24.0% during the second quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 491,641 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $200,000,000 after buying an additional 95,259 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 0.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 446,654 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $181,732,000 after buying an additional 3,447 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 318.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 424,818 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $164,940,000 after acquiring an additional 323,331 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 298,828 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $116,029,000 after acquiring an additional 1,097 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $93,967,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,155 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $395.19, for a total transaction of $456,444.45. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $609,778.17. The trade was a 42.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 345 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $404.84, for a total transaction of $139,669.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $142,503.68. This trade represents a 49.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 14,970 shares of company stock valued at $6,212,365 over the last three months. Insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $456.67 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $416.59 and its 200 day moving average is $395.91. The company has a market cap of $8.46 billion, a PE ratio of 18.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.36. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $345.23 and a 1 year high of $523.09.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $0.86. The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.88 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 75.75% and a net margin of 2.43%.The business’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.96 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Murphy USA from $467.00 to $445.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. KeyCorp set a $500.00 price objective on Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Stephens cut their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Friday, January 9th. They issued an “underperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $410.00 to $400.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $429.00.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company’s primary operations center on two retail formats.