Wells Fargo & Company Boosts Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Price Target to $520.00

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised its price target on Murphy USA from $450 to $520 while keeping an "equal weight" rating, with that target implying roughly a 10.12% downside from the stock's prior close.
• Murphy USA reported a strong Q1 beat — $7.28 EPS vs. $5.37 consensus and $4.82B revenue — driven by higher fuel and merchandise contributions that improved margins.
• Analyst views are mixed but generally constructive (KeyCorp $600, JPMorgan $539, MarketBeat consensus $503.71/"Moderate Buy"), however elevated leverage (debt/equity ~3.47) and recent insider selling represent notable risks.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $450.00 to $520.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the specialty retailer's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective points to a potential downside of 10.12% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on MUSA. Zacks Research raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp increased their price target on Murphy USA from $560.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Murphy USA from $510.00 to $517.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $503.71.

Murphy USA Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of MUSA stock traded down $9.43 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $578.57. The company had a trading volume of 19,085 shares, compared to its average volume of 355,911. The company has a 50 day moving average of $472.53 and a 200 day moving average of $422.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $10.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.23. Murphy USA has a 1-year low of $345.23 and a 1-year high of $591.80.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.37 by $1.91. The company had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 93.06% and a net margin of 2.81%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.63 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 29.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,155 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $395.19, for a total transaction of $456,444.45. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,543 shares of the company's stock, valued at $609,778.17. This trade represents a 42.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Eric J. Bartko sold 345 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $404.84, for a total transaction of $139,669.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $142,503.68. This represents a 49.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 10,919 shares of company stock valued at $4,490,690. 9.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MUSA. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 132,705 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $51,524,000 after acquiring an additional 4,468 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 20.2% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 138,998 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $53,967,000 after acquiring an additional 23,349 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 60.1% in the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 13,667 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $5,405,000 after acquiring an additional 5,128 shares during the period. VELA Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 200.8% in the 3rd quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC now owns 6,714 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,607,000 after acquiring an additional 4,482 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 63,638 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $24,708,000 after acquiring an additional 3,614 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Murphy USA News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 2026 beat on both top and bottom lines: reported $7.28 EPS vs. consensus $5.37 and revenue $4.82B. Fuel contribution rose to 35.0 cents per gallon and merchandise contribution increased, driving better margins and operating leverage. Murphy USA Inc. Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support strengthened: Zacks upgraded MUSA to "Strong‑Buy" and raised several forward-quarter estimates; KeyCorp bumped Q2/Q3/FY estimates and maintains an Overweight rating with a $600 price target — both signal buy‑side confidence in near‑term earnings power. Murphy USA (MUSA) Surpasses Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and transcripts are available for color on commodity exposure, merchandising trends and buyback plans — useful for verifying management commentary behind the beat. Murphy USA Inc. (MUSA) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ research shows a mix of small estimate tweaks across future quarters (some raises, a modest cut for a distant quarter) — indicates analysts are re‑forecasting around variable fuel margins but remain constructive overall.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling is notable: multiple executives have sold shares in recent months (no purchases reported), which can be perceived negatively by some investors. Murphy USA jumps as Q1 results beat expectations on stronger fuel and merchandise contribution
• Negative Sentiment: Balance‑sheet and liquidity metrics are modestly weak (debt/equity ~3.47; current ratio ~0.80), which raises sensitivity to funding/interest moves if margins compress—an incremental risk for longer‑term holders.

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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