King Luther Capital Management Corp Buys 4,725 Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Key Points

• King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its stake in Murphy USA Inc. by 15.7%, acquiring an additional 4,725 shares to own 34,877 shares worth approximately $16.4 million.
• Murphy USA reported earnings of $7.36 per share, exceeding estimates, but its revenue decreased year-over-year by 8.2% to $5.01 billion.
• Several equities analysts have revised their ratings, with Stephens lowering their target price from $530 to $475, indicating a cautious outlook despite a majority of analysts still rating it a "Moderate Buy."

King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 15.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,877 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 4,725 shares during the quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp owned 0.18% of Murphy USA worth $16,386,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the first quarter worth $1,315,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 94.0% during the 1st 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 last quarter. Cynosure Group LLC increased its position in Murphy USA by 42.1% in the 1st quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,564 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $735,000 after acquiring an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 91.6% in the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 21,268 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $9,992,000 after acquiring an additional 10,169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 37.6% during the first quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 6,810 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,199,000 after purchasing an additional 1,862 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Stephens lowered their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Raymond James Financial cut Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $476.29.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded down $5.64 during trading on Thursday, reaching $389.13. 286,102 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 297,114. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.51 billion, a PE ratio of 16.11 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $408.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $449.45. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $345.23 and a 1-year high of $561.08.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.54. The business had revenue of $5.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.17 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 64.63%. Murphy USA's revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.92 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David C. Haley purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $435,580. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Malynda K. West sold 1,859 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.22, for a total value of $717,982.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 117,389 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,337,979.58. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

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.