KeyCorp Weighs in on Murphy USA’s Q1 Earnings (NYSE:MUSA)

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) – Equities research analysts at KeyCorp issued their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Murphy USA in a research note issued on Thursday, April 23rd. KeyCorp analyst B. Thomas forecasts that the specialty retailer will post earnings of $5.91 per share for the quarter. KeyCorp has a “Overweight” rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Murphy USA’s current full-year earnings is $29.55 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Murphy USA’s Q2 2026 earnings at $8.76 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $30.00 EPS.

MUSA has been the subject of several other research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $510.00 to $517.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stephens decreased their target price on Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $493.71.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA stock opened at $587.93 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.88 billion, a PE ratio of 20.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.23. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $472.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $422.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47. Murphy USA has a 52-week low of $345.23 and a 52-week high of $591.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.37 by $1.91. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 93.06% and a net margin of 2.81%.The company had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.63 EPS. Murphy USA’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Equitable Trust Co. acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $240,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $338,000. Montag A & Associates Inc. raised its stake in Murphy USA by 43.2% during the 1st quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 826 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $408,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in Murphy USA by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 8,045 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,083,000 after acquiring an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. raised its stake in Murphy USA by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 15,843 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $8,041,000 after acquiring an additional 1,811 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Murphy USA

In related news, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 345 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $404.84, for a total transaction of $139,669.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 352 shares in the company, valued at $142,503.68. The trade was a 49.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Malynda K. West sold 3,967 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total value of $1,785,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 117,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,825,050. This represents a 3.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,919 shares of company stock worth $4,490,690. 9.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 8.71%.

Key Headlines Impacting Murphy USA

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 financial beat — Murphy USA reported Q1 net income of $136.3M, $7.28 diluted EPS vs. consensus ~$5.37, and revenue of $4.82B (above estimates). The results materially exceeded Street expectations and are the primary driver of the share move. Business Wire Q1 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Improved fuel and in-store economics — Total fuel contribution rose to 35.0 cents per gallon (from 25.4 cpg a year ago) with retail gallons up, while merchandise contribution and unit margins improved, supporting higher profitability per transaction. QuiverQuant Analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Share repurchases and dividend — Management repurchased ~169k shares for ~$70.9M in the quarter and paid the $0.63 quarterly dividend, signaling continued cash return to shareholders. Business Wire Q1 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and estimate lifts — Zacks upgraded MUSA to a strong-buy and raised near-term EPS forecasts; some brokers (KeyCorp, others) have maintained or lifted targets (KeyCorp $600), lending support to sentiment. Zacks Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call / transcripts available — Management prepared remarks and the full earnings call transcript were posted (useful for listeners assessing cadence on margins, fuel outlook and capital allocation, but not new by themselves). Earnings Transcript (Yahoo) Earnings Call Transcript (Seeking Alpha)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — Multiple executive-level sales were reported over recent months (no insider buys reported in same period), which some investors view as a cautionary signal on conviction. QuiverQuant Insider Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Balance-sheet/leverage considerations — The company shows relatively high debt-to-equity (background metrics), which could limit flexibility if fuel/macro conditions reverse; monitor leverage and cash flow conversion over coming quarters.

About Murphy USA

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.