Corient Private Wealth LP Increases Stock Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• Corient Private Wealth LP increased its Murphy USA holdings by 121.4% in the second quarter, bringing its position to 4,680 shares valued at approximately $2.52 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.81% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating on MUSA, with an average price target of $606.89; five analysts rate it a Buy and six rate it a Hold.
• Murphy USA exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $11.27 versus a $9.95 estimate and revenue of $6.81 billion. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.65 per share, or $2.60 annualized.

Corient Private Wealth LP boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 121.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,680 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 2,566 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LP's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,522,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in Murphy USA by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 82.5% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter valued at $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Murphy USA from $655.00 to $633.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 7th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Murphy USA from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $380.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Zacks Research lowered Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $606.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $523.60, for a total value of $52,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,947.20. This represents a 28.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total transaction of $552,436.08. Following the sale, the director directly owned 449 shares in the company, valued at approximately $256,774.12. The trade was a 68.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 9.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Stock Down 0.0%

Murphy USA stock opened at $508.76 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $9.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.25. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $349.83 and a 52 week high of $636.04. The business's 50-day moving average price is $557.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $539.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32. The business had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.03 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 96.01% and a net margin of 2.87%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 36.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $7.36 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 34.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 24th were issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is currently 7.92%.

Murphy USA Profile

Murphy USA Inc NYSE: MUSA operates a network of retail fuel stations and convenience stores in the United States. Its locations primarily serve motorists and local communities, offering gasoline and diesel fuel along with convenience merchandise.

The company's stores sell products such as tobacco, nicotine products, beverages, snacks, packaged food, and other general merchandise. Many locations also provide prepared food and other convenience services, with product offerings designed to complement the company's fuel business.

Murphy USA was established as an independent publicly traded company in 2013 following its separation from Murphy Oil Corporation.

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