Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Has $2.56 Million Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System cut its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mather Group LLC. increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 141.4% in the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 40.4% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 777.8% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 79 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 1st quarter worth about $69,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 82.1% during the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 173 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 16,755 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.54, for a total value of $8,621,117.70. Following the transaction, the director now owns 396,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $203,955,423.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Murphy USA news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 16,755 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.54, for a total transaction of $8,621,117.70. Following the transaction, the director now owns 396,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $203,955,423.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director James W. Keyes sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.54, for a total transaction of $1,023,080.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,114 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,242,955.56. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 32,209 shares of company stock valued at $16,564,666. 9.73% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA stock opened at $482.16 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a PE ratio of 19.50 and a beta of 0.77. The company’s 50-day moving average is $499.27 and its 200-day moving average is $474.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.52. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $350.55 and a 1 year high of $552.30.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The specialty retailer reported $6.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.91 by $0.01. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.50% and a return on equity of 64.73%. The business had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.02 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th will be given a $0.48 dividend. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 4th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.40%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on MUSA shares. Raymond James increased their price target on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Murphy USA from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Murphy USA from $538.00 to $537.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a report on Thursday, September 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $495.33.

About Murphy USA

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.