Murphy USA Stock Gets Lower EPS Forecast from Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research lowered Murphy USA’s Q3 2028 EPS estimate slightly to $8.13 from $8.14 and maintained a “Hold” rating. The current full-year consensus EPS estimate is $34.70.
• Murphy USA’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with EPS of $11.27 versus the $9.95 consensus and revenue of $6.81 billion, up 36% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains moderately positive, with six “Buy” ratings and five “Hold” ratings and an average price target of $606.89; the company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.65 per share.

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q3 2028 EPS estimates for Murphy USA in a report issued on Tuesday, September 29th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the specialty retailer will earn $8.13 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $8.14. Zacks Research currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Murphy USA's current full-year earnings is $34.70 per share.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The specialty retailer reported $11.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $1.32. The company had revenue of $6.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.03 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 96.01% and a net margin of 2.87%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.36 earnings per share.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on MUSA. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $550.00 to $625.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $619.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Murphy USA from $655.00 to $633.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Murphy USA from $520.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Murphy USA from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $606.89.

Murphy USA Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of MUSA opened at $510.61 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $543.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $543.01. The company has a market capitalization of $9.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Murphy USA has a 1-year low of $349.83 and a 1-year high of $636.04.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $915,734,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Murphy USA in the second quarter worth $78,372,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Murphy USA in the fourth quarter worth $50,726,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its position in Murphy USA by 21,322.2% during the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 103,041 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $55,526,000 after buying an additional 102,560 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter valued at $49,320,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $523.60, for a total value of $52,360.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,947.20. This trade represents a 28.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rosemary Turner sold 966 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.88, for a total transaction of $552,436.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 449 shares in the company, valued at approximately $256,774.12. The trade was a 68.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 9.02% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th were paid a $0.65 dividend. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 24th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is presently 7.92%.

Murphy USA News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its earnings-per-share forecasts across several periods, including Q3 2026 to $8.28 from $8.27, Q1 2027 to $4.04 from $4.00, Q2 2027 to $8.84 from $8.73, FY2027 to $28.98 from $28.82, Q1 2028 to $6.07 from $6.05, Q2 2028 to $8.42 from $8.31, and FY2028 to $29.79 from $29.68. The broad-based upward revisions suggest slightly better expected profitability for the convenience-store retailer. Murphy USA Stock Earnings Estimates Raised by Zacks Research
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the higher forecasts, Zacks maintained a Hold rating on Murphy USA. The increases were relatively small, indicating an incremental improvement rather than a major change in the company’s earnings outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ estimates include FY2027 EPS of $28.98 and FY2028 EPS of $29.79, while the consensus estimate for Murphy USA’s current fiscal year remains $34.70 per share. Investors may view the revisions favorably, but the unchanged rating limits the strength of the catalyst.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA Inc operates a nationwide network of retail gasoline stations and convenience stores in the United States. Its stores sell branded and unbranded motor fuel, tobacco products, nicotine products, beverages, snacks, packaged food, and other convenience items. Some locations also offer additional services such as lottery products and car washes.

The company operates stores under the Murphy USA and Murphy Express brands, primarily in proximity to Walmart stores and along major roads.

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