Zacks Research Has Strong Outlook for Murphy USA Q2 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q2 2026 EPS estimate for Murphy USA to $8.31 from $8.29, while keeping a Hold rating on the stock.
• Murphy USA recently beat Q1 earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $7.28 EPS on $4.82 billion in revenue, with revenue up 6.5% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment is generally constructive: the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating and an average price target of $571.22, despite some recent insider selling.

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for Murphy USA in a report issued on Thursday, July 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the specialty retailer will post earnings per share of $8.31 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $8.29. Zacks Research has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Murphy USA's current full-year earnings is $32.30 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Murphy USA's Q3 2026 earnings at $7.33 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $3.63 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $6.94 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $27.38 EPS.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Murphy USA from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $380.00 to $550.00 in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group raised Murphy USA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $550.00 to $625.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $539.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised Murphy USA from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $350.00 to $550.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $571.22.

Murphy USA Trading Down 3.6%

Shares of NYSE:MUSA opened at $584.75 on Friday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $558.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $483.91. Murphy USA has a 1 year low of $345.23 and a 1 year high of $636.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The company has a market capitalization of $10.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.30.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.37 by $1.91. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.63 EPS. The business's revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a $0.64 dividend. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Murphy USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.85%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 517 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $574.49, for a total transaction of $297,011.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $287,245. This represents a 50.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total value of $1,641,750.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 53,841 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,464,487.25. This represents a 5.28% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 46,225 shares of company stock worth $27,363,392 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 9.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MUSA. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Murphy USA by 10.2% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $792,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% during the second 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 during the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the second quarter valued at $603,000. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter worth about $596,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new position in Murphy USA in the 2nd quarter worth about $227,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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