Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Acquires New Shares in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,606,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 37.0% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $67,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MUSA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Stephens raised shares of Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $539.00.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the business's 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,062,476.19. The trade was a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded down $2.53 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $491.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 34,555 shares, compared to its average volume of 203,970. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $471.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $493.76. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $382.04 and a 52 week high of $561.08. The firm has a market cap of $9.73 billion, a PE ratio of 20.37 and a beta of 0.73.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

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.