Equities Analysts Issue Forecasts for Murphy USA Q1 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research cut its Q1 2028 EPS estimate for Murphy USA to $5.85 from $5.92 and kept a Hold rating, signaling slightly softer near-term expectations.
• Murphy USA’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, posting $7.28 EPS versus the $5.37 consensus and revenue of $4.82 billion, up 6.5% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed overall, with the stock carrying a Hold consensus rating and an average price target of $539.50, while insiders have recently sold shares and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.64.

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) - Zacks Research decreased their Q1 2028 earnings estimates for shares of Murphy USA in a report issued on Tuesday, June 23rd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the specialty retailer will post earnings per share of $5.85 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $5.92. Zacks Research has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Murphy USA's current full-year earnings is $32.30 per share.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.37 by $1.91. The company had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.63 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Murphy USA from $450.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered Murphy USA from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Murphy USA from $510.00 to $517.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Murphy USA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $539.50.

Murphy USA Price Performance

NYSE MUSA opened at $530.80 on Thursday. Murphy USA has a 12 month low of $345.23 and a 12 month high of $636.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.80 billion, a PE ratio of 18.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.30. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $548.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $471.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MUSA. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in Murphy USA by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Murphy USA by 423.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Murphy USA during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 517 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $574.49, for a total value of $297,011.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $287,245. This trade represents a 50.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 1,050 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $529.44, for a total transaction of $555,912.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 3,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,632,263.52. This represents a 25.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 46,225 shares of company stock valued at $27,363,392 over the last 90 days. 9.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a $0.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is 8.85%.

Murphy USA News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its near-term earnings outlook for Murphy USA, including modest increases to Q2 2026 and Q3 2026 EPS estimates, which suggests current operating trends remain healthy.
• Neutral Sentiment: Separately, a recent note highlighted Murphy USA’s nicotine category as a growing profit driver, which could help offset cautious consumer spending. Article: Is Murphy USA's Nicotine Category Emerging as a Key Profit Driver?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Murphy USA from Strong-Buy to Hold, and cut several future earnings estimates, which likely pressured the stock. Article: Tickerreport.com

Murphy USA Company Profile

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.

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