Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Sells 547 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio decreased its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 8.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,018 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 547 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,448,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 442,130 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $207,717,000 after purchasing an additional 22,733 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 94.0% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 371,667 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $174,613,000 after acquiring an additional 180,055 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 21.1% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 268,373 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $126,065,000 after acquiring an additional 46,677 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 61.5% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 252,575 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $118,662,000 after purchasing an additional 96,200 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 902.2% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 153,202 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $71,976,000 after purchasing an additional 137,915 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total transaction of $717,982.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 117,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,337,979.58. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Madison Murphy acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $367.01 per share, with a total value of $1,835,050.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 389,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $142,830,015.72. The trade was a 1.30% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $393.84 on Friday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $345.23 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The stock has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.31 and a beta of 0.42. The business’s 50 day moving average is $385.90 and its 200 day moving average is $427.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.54. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.63% and a net margin of 2.52%.The company had revenue of $5.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.92 earnings per share. Murphy USA’s revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 25th. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MUSA shares. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, August 1st. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $480.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Zacks Research raised Murphy USA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $483.17.

Murphy USA 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.