Vestcor Inc Has $858,000 Stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Vestcor Inc trimmed its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 41.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund 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 quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake 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 increased its stake 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 acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $67,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This 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 at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of Murphy USA 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

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Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA traded up $8.50 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $443.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 282,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 193,988. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $477.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $498.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.33 and a beta of 0.80. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $382.04 and a one year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect 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 was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 8.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Melius Research raised Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $525.67.

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.