Zacks Research Weighs in on Murphy USA Inc.’s Q4 2024 Earnings (NYSE:MUSA)

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Murphy USA in a note issued to investors on Monday, July 15th. Zacks Research analyst N. Choudhury now anticipates that the specialty retailer will post earnings of $7.24 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $7.22. The consensus estimate for Murphy USA’s current full-year earnings is $24.49 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Murphy USA’s Q1 2026 earnings at $8.19 EPS and Q2 2026 earnings at $5.24 EPS.

Several other analysts have also commented on the company. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $470.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com downgraded Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $408.60.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Shares of MUSA opened at $489.20 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Murphy USA has a one year low of $282.49 and a one year high of $503.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.53 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a fifty day moving average of $456.89 and a 200 day moving average of $418.57.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The specialty retailer reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.97). Murphy USA had a return on equity of 64.45% and a net margin of 2.43%. The firm had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.80 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 17th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.36%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is 7.39%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 10,392 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $440.32, for a total value of $4,575,805.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 199,563 shares in the company, valued at $87,871,580.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 10,392 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $440.32, for a total value of $4,575,805.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 199,563 shares in the company, valued at $87,871,580.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 205 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $82,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 11,451 shares of company stock worth $5,032,498 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 191.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 141.4% in the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 70 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 777.8% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 79 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 394.7% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 94 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Murphy USA

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.