State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Cuts Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D cut its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor 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 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 37.0% in 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 raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 186.1% in 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 Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 348.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 9.73% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price 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 upped their price target 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. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $510.80.

Murphy USA Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of MUSA opened at $478.63 on Thursday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $382.04 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The stock has a market cap of $9.69 billion, a PE ratio of 19.78 and a beta of 0.79. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $499.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $505.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18.

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

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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

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.