Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Stock Position Decreased by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D cut its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 10.6% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,908 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 701 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,776,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 53,469.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 553,906 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $260,231,000 after acquiring an additional 552,872 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 94.0% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 371,667 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $174,613,000 after acquiring an additional 180,055 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 21.1% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 268,373 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $126,065,000 after acquiring an additional 46,677 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Murphy USA by 61.5% in the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 252,575 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $118,662,000 after buying an additional 96,200 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Murphy USA by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 212,247 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $106,495,000 after buying an additional 41,295 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $394.5470 on Thursday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $345.23 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.61 billion, a PE ratio of 16.34 and a beta of 0.42. The business’s 50 day moving average is $405.53 and its 200-day moving average is $445.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.54. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.63% and a net margin of 2.52%.The company had revenue of $5.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.92 EPS. Murphy USA’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 8.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on MUSA shares. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Stephens dropped their price target on Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. KeyCorp dropped their price target on Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $476.29.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director David C. Haley acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $435,580. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total value of $717,982.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 117,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,337,979.58. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.04% of the stock is owned by 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.