Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA Shares Sold by Narwhal Capital Management

Narwhal Capital Management lessened its stake in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 81.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,610 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 6,992 shares during the quarter. Narwhal Capital Management's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $650,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 317.6% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 423.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Murphy USA

Here are the key news stories impacting Murphy USA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near‑term and full‑year EPS forecasts for MUSA (including Q2 2026, Q3 2026, Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q4 2026, Q4 2027 and FY2027), signaling improved earnings visibility across several quarters. This cluster of upgrades supports higher forward earnings expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added MUSA to its Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) list, which typically attracts investor attention and can boost buy‑side demand. New Strong Buy Stocks for April 29th
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary and coverage point to momentum: a Yahoo Finance piece highlights an 8.2% jump tied to geopolitics‑driven EPS improvement and store expansion momentum, reinforcing the narrative behind the move. Murphy USA (MUSA) Is Up 8.2% After Geopolitics-Driven EPS Surge and Store Expansion Momentum – What's Changed
• Positive Sentiment: One outlet reported a ~13.6% hike to MUSA's price target (to $496.83), which can lift investor expectations around fair value and support the share rally. Murphy USA (MUSA) price target increased by 13.55% to 496.83
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite mostly upward revisions, Zacks trimmed one quarter (Q3 2027) very slightly (from $6.86 to $6.84), a minor adjustment that is unlikely to offset the broader positive revisions.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on MUSA shares. Stephens reduced their target price on Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Murphy USA from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Murphy USA from $560.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Murphy USA from $467.00 to $445.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $483.43.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.4%

MUSA opened at $519.80 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.23. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $466.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $421.09. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $345.23 and a 1-year high of $539.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.67 by $0.86. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 75.75% and a net margin of 2.43%.The business had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.96 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 27.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 137 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $422.44, for a total transaction of $57,874.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 345 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $404.84, for a total transaction of $139,669.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 352 shares in the company, valued at $142,503.68. This trade represents a 49.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,919 shares of company stock worth $4,490,690. 9.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA is a leading downstream marketer of gasoline, diesel and convenience store products in the United States. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the company was originally established as part of Murphy Oil Corporation and was spun off as an independent public entity in 2013. Since its separation, Murphy USA has focused on retail fueling services and convenience offerings designed to deliver value and convenience to consumers.

The company's primary operations center on two retail formats.

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