Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Acquires Shares of 5,400 Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 5,400 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,925,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 191.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 34.2% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 42.6% in the third quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. now owns 174 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Covington Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the third quarter worth approximately $61,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total transaction of $503,830.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 21,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,797,249.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total transaction of $2,837,410.72. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,607,700.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total value of $503,830.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 21,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,797,249.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,440 shares of company stock valued at $4,244,582. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $413.40 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15. The stock has a market cap of $8.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.21 and a beta of 0.76. The business’s 50 day moving average is $411.54 and its 200 day moving average is $380.49. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $265.93 and a 52-week high of $430.83.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.79 by $1.21. The business had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 70.92% and a net margin of 2.59%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.21 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.4 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $470.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $375.00 to $425.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Murphy USA from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $404.60.

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.