Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by Vestcor Inc

Vestcor Inc decreased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 41.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,711 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,198 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $858,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 22.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 8,385 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,133,000 after acquiring an additional 1,526 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $1,207,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $11,529,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 69.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $211,135,000 after purchasing an additional 176,308 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 622.9% during the third quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 4,048 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,995,000 after buying an additional 3,488 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Melius began coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $525.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 over the last three months. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $452.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.70 and a beta of 0.80. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12-month low of $382.04 and a 12-month high of $561.08. 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’s 50-day moving average is $479.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $499.93.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. Equities 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 8.10%.

About Murphy USA

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.