Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec Buys Shares of 7,250 Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec acquired a new stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 7,250 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,638,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 186.1% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total value of $360,491.07. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,062,476.19. This trade represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA traded up $1.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $445.45. The stock had a trading volume of 783,272 shares, compared to its average volume of 206,116. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $422.66 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. 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 company has a market cap of $8.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.41 and a beta of 0.59. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $476.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $494.21.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The specialty retailer reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.87 by ($1.24). Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 61.60%. The business had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.12 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect 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 will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 8.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MUSA has been the subject of several recent research reports. 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James lowered shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday. KeyCorp dropped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $526.29.

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.