Retirement Systems of Alabama Sells 127 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Retirement Systems of Alabama decreased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,550 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 127 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned approximately 0.29% of Murphy USA worth $21,946,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 801 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $274,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 499 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 34.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 191.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 17.5% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 323 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total value of $2,837,410.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,607,700.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Murphy USA news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total value of $2,837,410.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,448 shares in the company, valued at $2,607,700.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total transaction of $275,925.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,002,722.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,440 shares of company stock worth $4,244,582. Company insiders own 9.73% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE:MUSA opened at $423.58 on Tuesday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $268.69 and a 52 week high of $430.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.95. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $415.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $384.02. The firm has a market cap of $8.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.60 and a beta of 0.76.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.79 by $1.21. The company had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 70.92%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.21 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 6.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MUSA shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $375.00 to $425.00 in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $408.60.

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.