Zacks Research Increases Earnings Estimates for Murphy USA

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) – Zacks Research upped their Q1 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Murphy USA in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, November 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the specialty retailer will post earnings of $7.10 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $3.10. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. 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 Q2 2027 earnings at $5.98 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $6.64 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $26.91 EPS.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $405.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp cut their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $480.00 to $460.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $474.00.

Murphy USA Price Performance

MUSA opened at $381.23 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $378.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $398.96. Murphy USA has a 12-month low of $345.23 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The firm has a market cap of $7.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.08 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.60 by $0.65. The business had revenue of $5.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.11 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 69.87% and a net margin of 2.43%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $7.20 earnings per share.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 89.8% during the first quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 33,991 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $15,969,000 after buying an additional 16,080 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in Murphy USA by 21.7% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,840 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,334,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 81.9% in the 1st quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 1,812 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $851,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $3,683,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 16,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $381.33, for a total value of $6,196,612.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 59,172 shares in the company, valued at $22,564,058.76. This represents a 21.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.63%.

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.