Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research 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 equities analysts also recently commented on the company. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Murphy USA from $600.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Capital One Financial initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Monday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $710.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered Murphy USA from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Murphy USA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $539.50.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

Murphy USA stock opened at $551.36 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.48. Murphy USA has a 12 month low of $345.23 and a 12 month high of $636.04. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $548.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $470.74. The company has a market cap of $10.18 billion, a PE ratio of 19.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.30.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $7.28 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.70 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.81% and a return on equity of 91.05%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.63 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Murphy USA will post 32.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Robert Madison Murphy sold 41,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $596.96, for a total value of $24,773,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 342,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $204,286,875.52. This represents a 10.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Diane N. Landen sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.25, for a total transaction of $1,641,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 53,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,464,487.25. The trade was a 5.28% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 46,225 shares of company stock worth $27,363,392 in the last ninety days. 9.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kenora Financial LLC lifted its stake in Murphy USA by 3.3% during the first quarter. Kenora Financial LLC now owns 654 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $323,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Enhancing Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Enhancing Capital LLC now owns 1,132 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $457,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,752 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $707,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 3.0% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 864 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $427,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 1.9% during the third quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,470 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $571,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA News Roundup

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.