California Public Employees Retirement System Sells 2,332 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

California Public Employees Retirement System decreased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 91,854 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,332 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.45% of Murphy USA worth $46,088,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% during the fourth 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 holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% during the fourth 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 valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Murphy USA Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:MUSA traded down $11.60 on Friday, reaching $470.95. The company had a trading volume of 338,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 201,280. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $9.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $471.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $493.26. Murphy USA Inc. has a twelve month low of $382.04 and a twelve month high of $561.08.

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Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.42%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Melius Research raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $525.67.

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.