Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Stock Holdings Lifted by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 0.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,191 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.11% of Murphy USA worth $10,426,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA during the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. CX Institutional acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 1st quarter worth $59,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $64,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at $67,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 63.5% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $420.51 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 12 month low of $385.44 and a 12 month high of $561.08. The company has a market cap of $8.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.74 and a beta of 0.48. The business’s 50 day moving average is $438.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $467.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.19% and a net margin of 2.46%. The company had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.12 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.48%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 8.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stephens lowered their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Raymond James Financial cut Murphy USA from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $526.29.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, Director David C. Haley bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $435,580. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

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.