Zacks Research Downgrades Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) to Hold

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued 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.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Murphy USA from $450.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen cut Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Murphy USA from $510.00 to $517.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. 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 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Murphy USA from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $539.50.

Murphy USA Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $551.36 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $548.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $470.74. The company has a market cap of $10.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.30. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $345.23 and a fifty-two week high of $636.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.63 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 32.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other news, SVP Keith A. Emery sold 517 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $574.49, for a total value of $297,011.33. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 500 shares in the company, valued at $287,245. This trade represents a 50.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total value of $1,641,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 53,841 shares in the company, valued at $29,464,487.25. This represents a 5.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 46,225 shares of company stock worth $27,363,392 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 9.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 82.4% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of Murphy USA by 106.7% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the third quarter worth about $26,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. 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.