Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Stake Lessened by South Dakota Investment Council

South Dakota Investment Council lessened its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 25.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,448 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,144,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 5.4% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 391 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $193,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 347 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $174,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 967 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $485,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. 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 valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Mustard Seed Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Mustard Seed Financial LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $564,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $445.19 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $495.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $505.02. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $382.04 and a 52 week high of $561.08. The stock has a market cap of $9.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40 and a beta of 0.79.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This is a boost from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 7.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $510.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total value of $395,391.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.