WINTON GROUP Ltd Purchases Shares of 2,520 Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Key Points

• WINTON GROUP Ltd. initiated a position in Murphy USA by purchasing 2,520 shares valued at approximately $1.36 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.81% of the company.
• Murphy USA reported quarterly earnings of $11.27 per share, surpassing the $9.95 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 36% year over year to $6.81 billion.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with five Buy ratings and six Holds producing a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $606.89. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.65 per share.

WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,520 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,358,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 106.7% in the fourth 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. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the second quarter worth $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 82.5% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MUSA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Murphy USA from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $380.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Capital One Financial assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $710.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research cut Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $550.00 to $625.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $606.89.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $523.09 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $9.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1-year low of $349.83 and a 1-year high of $636.04. The stock's 50-day moving average is $568.13 and its 200 day moving average is $532.52.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32. The business had revenue of $6.81 billion during 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%.Murphy USA's revenue for the quarter was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.36 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Murphy USA Inc. will post 34.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 24th were issued a $0.65 dividend. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 24th. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.92%.

Murphy USA Company 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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