Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Has $3.20 Million Holdings in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Key Points

• The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its holdings in Murphy USA Inc. by 37.6% in the first quarter, now owning 6,810 shares valued at approximately $3.2 million.
• Insider activity showed significant investments, with Director David C. Haley purchasing 1,000 shares at nearly $436 each, and Robert Madison Murphy acquiring 5,000 shares at around $367 each.
• Analysts have downgraded Murphy USA's target price, with recent estimates ranging from $350 to $480, signaling mixed sentiment among investors.

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 37.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,810 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 1,862 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $3,199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 53,469.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 553,906 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $260,231,000 after acquiring an additional 552,872 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Murphy USA by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 470,602 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $236,125,000 after acquiring an additional 18,097 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Murphy USA by 61.5% in the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 252,575 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $118,662,000 after acquiring an additional 96,200 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Murphy USA by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 212,247 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $106,495,000 after acquiring an additional 41,295 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Murphy USA by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 144,973 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $72,301,000 after acquiring an additional 3,025 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Robert Madison Murphy bought 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $367.01 per share, with a total value of $1,835,050.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 389,172 shares in the company, valued at $142,830,015.72. This trade represents a 1.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David C. Haley purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $435.58 per share, for a total transaction of $435,580.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $435,580. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MUSA has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Stephens cut their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $530.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $476.29.

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE:MUSA traded up $4.58 on Friday, hitting $376.91. 274,118 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 382,919. 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 50-day moving average price of $410.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $451.35. The company has a market cap of $7.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.61 and a beta of 0.42. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $345.23 and a 52 week high of $561.08.

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

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.