New York State Common Retirement Fund Reduces Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

New York State Common Retirement Fund decreased its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 34,378 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.17% of Murphy USA worth $17,249,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 348.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $510.80.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $445.19 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $9.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40 and a beta of 0.79. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $382.04 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The company’s 50 day moving average is $495.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $504.99.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. On average, research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company 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.