Zacks Research Equities Analysts Lift Earnings Estimates for Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Murphy USA in a report released on Wednesday, April 3rd. Zacks Research analyst N. Choudhury now expects that the specialty retailer will post earnings per share of $6.78 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $6.50. The consensus estimate for Murphy USA's current full-year earnings is $26.32 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Murphy USA's Q3 2024 earnings at $6.84 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $7.10 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $24.97 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $7.67 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $6.66 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $4.38 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $6.28 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $24.99 EPS and Q1 2026 earnings at $8.59 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Murphy USA from $395.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $375.00 to $425.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $395.60.

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE MUSA traded up $4.91 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $418.13. The company had a trading volume of 245,613 shares, compared to its average volume of 205,246. The company has a market capitalization of $8.70 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.56. Murphy USA has a 1-year low of $251.37 and a 1-year high of $430.83. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $402.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $375.92.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.79 by $1.21. The company had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 70.92% and a net margin of 2.59%. Murphy USA's quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.21 EPS.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 6.59%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total value of $275,925.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,413 shares in the company, valued at $1,002,722.15. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Murphy USA news, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 7,016 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.42, for a total value of $2,837,410.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,607,700.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total transaction of $275,925.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,002,722.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,440 shares of company stock valued at $4,244,582 in the last quarter. Insiders own 9.04% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,670,297 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $533,953,000 after purchasing an additional 35,610 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 15.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,080,410 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $369,208,000 after purchasing an additional 140,879 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 76.4% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 379,886 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $106,194,000 after purchasing an additional 164,519 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in Murphy USA by 29.4% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 355,479 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $99,371,000 after acquiring an additional 80,791 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Murphy USA by 3.4% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 334,651 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $86,357,000 after acquiring an additional 10,944 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company's stock.

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.