Research Analysts Issue Forecasts for Murphy USA Q2 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised Murphy USA’s Q2 2026 EPS estimate to $8.13 from $7.44 and kept a Strong-Buy rating on the stock, reflecting improved expectations ahead of the quarter.
• Murphy USA’s most recent earnings beat estimates, with Q1 EPS of $7.28 versus $5.37 expected and revenue of $4.82 billion, topping analyst forecasts and rising 6.5% year over year.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.64 per share, while analysts overall maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $503.71.

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for Murphy USA in a report released on Tuesday, May 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the specialty retailer will post earnings of $8.13 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $7.44. Zacks Research has a "Strong-Buy" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Murphy USA's current full-year earnings is $31.80 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Murphy USA's FY2026 earnings at $30.19 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $4.26 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $9.69 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $7.54 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $7.30 EPS.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.37 by $1.91. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 91.05% and a net margin of 2.81%.The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.63 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on MUSA. Wall Street Zen upgraded Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started 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. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Murphy USA from $560.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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. Finally, Stephens lowered their price objective on Murphy USA from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $503.71.

Murphy USA Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of MUSA opened at $556.12 on Thursday. Murphy USA has a 12-month low of $345.23 and a 12-month high of $609.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.36. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $513.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $440.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a $0.64 dividend. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 41,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $596.96, for a total value of $24,773,840.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 342,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $204,286,875.52. The trade was a 10.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 2,844 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $388.61, for a total value of $1,105,206.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 3,083 shares in the company, valued at $1,198,084.63. The trade was a 47.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 47,210 shares of company stock worth $27,129,150 over the last ninety days. 9.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Murphy USA by 318.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 424,818 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $164,940,000 after buying an additional 323,331 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 149.9% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 507,418 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $204,753,000 after purchasing an additional 304,354 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 676.7% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 170,215 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $69,243,000 after purchasing an additional 148,301 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $50,726,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 1,723.1% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 132,450 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $53,446,000 after purchasing an additional 125,185 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Murphy USA

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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