Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Key Points

• Q1 beat: Murphy USA reported EPS of $7.28 vs. consensus $5.37 and revenue of $4.82B vs. $4.45B, a large year-over-year EPS jump from $2.63 driven mainly by higher fuel contribution (35.0 cpg vs. 25.4 cpg) and stronger retail gallons.
• Capital risks: The company carries meaningful leverage (debt/equity ~3.47) and thin net margins (2.43%), which could limit multiple expansion and make the stock sensitive to fuel-margin cycles.
• Market response: Analysts have raised estimates and price targets (Zacks added MUSA to a Rank #1 list; BofA, KeyCorp and others lifted targets), while the firm pays a $0.63 quarterly dividend (annualized $2.52, yield ~0.5%) and the consensus rating remains a "Hold" with a $483.43 target.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.37 by $1.91, Zacks reports. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 75.75% and a net margin of 2.43%.The company had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.45 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.63 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Murphy USA Trading Down 0.7%

MUSA opened at $516.82 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $468.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $421.76. Murphy USA has a one year low of $345.23 and a one year high of $539.71. The stock has a market cap of $9.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.23.

Murphy USA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 10.38%.

Insider Activity

In other Murphy USA news, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 899 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.53, for a total value of $343,894.47. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 137 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $422.44, for a total value of $57,874.28. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 10,919 shares of company stock worth $4,490,690 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 9.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter worth approximately $47,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 73.6% during the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Murphy USA

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results: Murphy USA reported Q1 net income of $136.3M, or $7.28 diluted EPS, a large year-over-year jump driven by higher fuel contribution (35.0 cpg vs 25.4 cpg a year ago) and higher retail gallons — the print beat consensus EPS and was framed as a revenue/earnings beat by Zacks. Murphy USA Inc. Reports First Quarter 2026 Results Murphy USA (MUSA) Surpasses Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and momentum: Zacks and other coverage lifted multiple near-term and FY estimates and added MUSA to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) list — a bullish signal that can support multiple analysts increasing targets and model assumptions. New Strong Buy Stocks for April 29th
• Positive Sentiment: Price target lift: At least one published note raised MUSA’s price target (reported increase ~13.6%), which helps justify higher valuations following the outsized quarter. Murphy USA (MUSA) price target increased
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst estimate revisions are mixed in timing — most near-term quarters were nudged higher but there are small downward tweaks in some out-year quarters; net effect appears modest at this stage.
• Neutral Sentiment: Data/reporting oddity: one automated report showed an implausible EPS figure (likely a data error). That can create noise in headlines and short-term trading but doesn’t change underlying results. (No link — data feed anomaly.)
• Negative Sentiment: Capital structure and margins: the company carries meaningful leverage (debt/equity ~3.5) and working-capacity ratios are modest; net margin remains thin on a percentage basis despite strong dollar EPS — these fundamentals can limit multiple expansion and make the stock sensitive to fuel margin cycles.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MUSA. Bank of America raised Murphy USA from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $350.00 to $550.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Stephens decreased their price target on Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Murphy USA from $560.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 price objective on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $483.43.

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.