Zacks Research Decreases Earnings Estimates for Murphy USA

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) – Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for Murphy USA in a research note issued to investors on Monday, April 14th. Zacks Research analyst N. Choudhury now anticipates that the specialty retailer will post earnings of $3.72 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $3.76. The consensus estimate for Murphy USA’s current full-year earnings is $26.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Murphy USA’s Q4 2025 earnings at $6.61 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $6.43 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $28.38 EPS.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%.

Several other brokerages have also commented on MUSA. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $550.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Murphy USA from $550.00 to $554.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Melius Research upgraded Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens upgraded shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $539.00.

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $512.37 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $468.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $492.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.14 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18. Murphy USA has a 12 month low of $382.04 and a 12 month high of $561.08.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 53,469.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 553,906 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $260,231,000 after acquiring an additional 552,872 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth approximately $112,741,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 69.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 428,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $211,135,000 after purchasing an additional 176,308 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth $53,777,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at $30,122,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total transaction of $939,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,783,200.66. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Murphy USA Company 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.