Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. Takes Position in Murphy USA Inc. $MUSA

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,938 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,583,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 1.2% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,625 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $876,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Kenora Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 3.3% in the first quarter. Kenora Financial LLC now owns 654 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $323,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Enhancing Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Enhancing Capital LLC now owns 1,132 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $457,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 864 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $427,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Murphy USA by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,470 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $571,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $502.99 on Monday. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52 week low of $349.83 and a 52 week high of $636.04. The company’s 50 day moving average is $572.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $524.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77. The company has a market cap of $9.29 billion, a PE ratio of 15.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.28.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts’ expectations of $6.03 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 96.01%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.36 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 34.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 24th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.92%.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total transaction of $1,641,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,464,487.25. This represents a 5.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total value of $552,436.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 449 shares in the company, valued at approximately $256,774.12. The trade was a 68.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 9.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Murphy USA

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $34.46 from $30.15, above the broader consensus of $33.84. Estimates also increased for Q3 2026 to $8.27 from $7.33, Q4 2026 to $7.65 from $7.24, and Q1 2027 to $3.99 from $3.63. These revisions suggest stronger near-term earnings expectations. Murphy USA analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-range estimates were also lifted: FY2027 EPS rose to $28.82 from $27.38, FY2028 EPS increased to $29.59 from $28.37, and Q3 2027 EPS jumped to $9.51 from $7.28. Higher forecasts could support the investment case if Murphy USA delivers the projected profitability. Murphy USA long-term earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha analysis expects fuel margins to remain high during the second half of 2026, potentially benefiting Murphy USA’s fuel-led retail model and supporting the improved 2026 forecasts. Murphy USA: Expect High Fuel Margins For H2’26
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the estimate increases, Zacks Research continues to rate MUSA “Hold,” indicating that analysts do not see enough evidence for a more bullish recommendation at present.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research lowered its Q2 2027 EPS forecast to $8.73 from $9.53 and its Q4 2027 forecast to $6.59 from $6.94. These cuts highlight some expected volatility in future earnings and temper the otherwise favorable revisions.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on MUSA. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $380.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $550.00 to $625.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Bank of America boosted their target price on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $619.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $606.89.

Murphy USA Profile

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.