Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Given New $625.00 Price Target at Bank of America

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) had its price target boosted by Bank of America from $600.00 to $625.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. 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 report on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Murphy USA from $450.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Capital One Financial assumed coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $710.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Murphy USA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $380.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 target price for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $579.56.

Murphy USA Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded up $5.85 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $590.59. 198,501 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 314,929. 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 has a 52 week low of $345.23 and a 52 week high of $636.04. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $560.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $484.65. The company has a market cap of $10.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.30.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. Murphy USA’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.63 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Murphy USA will post 32.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.64 per share. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Renee M. Bacon sold 1,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $529.44, for a total value of $555,912.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,083 shares in the company, valued at $1,632,263.52. This represents a 25.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 53,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,464,487.25. This trade represents a 5.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 46,225 shares of company stock valued at $27,363,392. 9.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 82.4% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in Murphy USA by 106.7% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 423.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Murphy USA in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Murphy USA by 148.5% during the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 82 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Murphy USA

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America lifted its price target on Murphy USA to $625 from $600, signaling improved valuation expectations even though the rating stayed neutral.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research nudged up its FY2026 EPS estimate to $30.15 from $30.10, reflecting slightly better expected profitability for Murphy USA.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research also raised its Q2 2027 EPS estimate to $9.53 from $9.52 and Q4 2026 EPS to $7.24 from $7.23, adding to the generally favorable earnings revisions.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research kept a Hold rating on Murphy USA and made several small estimate tweaks across 2026-2028, indicating a mostly steady outlook rather than a major shift in fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: Some longer-dated Zacks estimates were trimmed slightly, including Q2 2028 EPS to $8.00 from $8.01, FY2027 EPS to $27.38 from $27.42, and Q1 2027 EPS to $3.63 from $3.66, which may temper enthusiasm on the back end of the forecast period.

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.