Teacher Retirement System of Texas Has $1.98 Million Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas reduced its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 35.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,222 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,337 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,984,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the first quarter worth $40,000. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $64,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Murphy USA by 63.5% in the first 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Murphy USA by 18.7% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 203 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David C. Haley purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $435,580. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA stock traded down $1.47 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $425.49. 336,541 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 229,856. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $385.44 and a 1-year high of $561.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.41 billion, a PE ratio of 17.95 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $429.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $463.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 2.46% and a return on equity of 61.19%. The firm had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.12 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on MUSA. Wall Street Zen cut Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. KeyCorp cut their price objective on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Stephens decreased their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.