Zacks Research Brokers Cut Earnings Estimates for Murphy USA

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for Murphy USA in a research note issued to investors on Monday, April 14th. Zacks Research analyst N. Choudhury now expects that the specialty retailer will post earnings of $3.72 per share for the quarter, down from their prior 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.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. KeyCorp began coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. Stephens raised Murphy USA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $539.00.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Murphy USA stock traded up $4.57 on Wednesday, hitting $511.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 134,910 shares, compared to its average volume of 204,521. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $469.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $492.98. The firm has a market cap of $10.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.12 and a beta of 0.73. Murphy USA has a one year low of $382.04 and a one year high of $561.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, CX Institutional bought a new position in Murphy USA during the first quarter worth about $59,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.31, for a total transaction of $360,491.07. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,062,476.19. This represents a 25.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,594 shares of company stock valued at $1,695,043 in the last ninety days. 9.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

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.