Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D reduced its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,609 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 676 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $3,316,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Monument Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 10,506 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,271,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in Murphy USA by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 803 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Vista Finance LLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $291,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Davidson Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,534 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,278,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA stock opened at $478.63 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $499.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $505.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.78 and a beta 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 issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. Analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.41%. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 7.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on MUSA. 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 report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $510.80.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 9.73% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.