Zacks Research Brokers Cut Earnings Estimates for Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2024 EPS estimates for Murphy USA in a note issued to investors on Thursday, April 25th. Zacks Research analyst N. Choudhury now forecasts that the specialty retailer will earn $4.20 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $4.25. The consensus estimate for Murphy USA’s current full-year earnings is $26.29 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Murphy USA’s Q4 2024 earnings at $7.19 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $7.51 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $6.80 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $6.44 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $25.96 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on MUSA. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $375.00 to $425.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $408.60.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of MUSA opened at $421.34 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $8.77 billion, a PE ratio of 16.49 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.95. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $267.93 and a fifty-two week high of $430.83. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $414.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $382.91.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.79 by $1.21. The business had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 70.92%. The business’s revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.21 earnings per share.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 6.59%.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,525 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.42, for a total transaction of $627,415.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,670 shares in the company, valued at $1,098,491.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.42, for a total transaction of $627,415.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,670 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,098,491.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Donald R. Smith, Jr. sold 1,235 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $407.96, for a total transaction of $503,830.60. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,797,249.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,440 shares of company stock worth $4,244,582 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter worth $3,060,000. Quantum Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter worth $204,000. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 3.8% in the first quarter. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 844 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the first quarter worth $210,000. Finally, Horrell Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 0.5% in the first quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 29,371 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $12,312,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. 80.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA Inc engages in marketing of retail motor fuel products and convenience merchandise. The company operates retail stores under the Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and QuickChek brands, as well as operates non-fuel convenience stores. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States.