Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Hold

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Murphy USA’s Q2 2026 earnings at $8.28 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $8.29 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $7.32 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $7.31 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $7.23 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $30.10 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $3.80 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $3.66 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $9.52 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $9.56 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $7.33 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $7.28 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $6.95 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $7.00 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $27.69 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $27.42 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $5.92 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $28.37 EPS.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Murphy USA from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $350.00 to $550.00 in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $600.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $450.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Capital One Financial began coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Monday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $710.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 price objective on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $539.50.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

NYSE MUSA opened at $551.36 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $10.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.30. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $548.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $470.74. Murphy USA has a 1-year low of $345.23 and a 1-year high of $636.04.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.37 by $1.91. The company had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.63 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Murphy USA will post 32.3 EPS for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a dividend of $0.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 8.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 517 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $574.49, for a total value of $297,011.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 500 shares in the company, valued at $287,245. The trade was a 50.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Scott G. Woodward sold 158 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.50, for a total transaction of $94,879.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 476 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,838. This trade represents a 24.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 46,225 shares of company stock valued at $27,363,392. 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 modified their holdings of the company. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,874,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 14.9% in the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 22,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $8,775,000 after purchasing an additional 2,939 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 6.0% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 63,638 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $24,708,000 after purchasing an additional 3,614 shares during the period. Millennium Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,029,000. Finally, Dakota Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,134,000. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Murphy USA

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

• Positive Sentiment: Capital One initiated coverage on Murphy USA with an overweight rating and a $710 price target, implying meaningful upside from recent trading levels. The Fly article
• Positive Sentiment: A Zacks article highlighted Murphy USA’s nicotine category as a potential profit driver, saying it is helping offset cautious consumer spending. Zacks article
• Positive Sentiment: Another Zacks piece called Murphy USA a top momentum stock, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the shares. Zacks article
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research slightly raised its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $7.32 from $7.31, a small positive adjustment with limited impact.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research also made small estimate changes for several future quarters, including modest cuts to Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, and FY2027 earnings. These revisions were minor and were paired with a continued Strong-Buy rating.

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.