Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) to Post Q1 2024 Earnings of $4.20 Per Share, Zacks Research Forecasts

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2024 earnings per share estimates for Murphy USA in a research report issued on Thursday, April 25th. Zacks Research analyst N. Choudhury now anticipates that the specialty retailer will post earnings per share of $4.20 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast 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 research firms have also recently issued reports on MUSA. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Murphy USA from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $375.00 to $425.00 in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Murphy USA from $382.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $470.00 price target on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $408.60.

Murphy USA Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE MUSA opened at $421.34 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $8.77 billion, a PE ratio of 16.52 and a beta of 0.76. The business has a fifty day moving average of $414.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $383.30. Murphy USA has a 52-week low of $267.93 and a 52-week high of $430.83. 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 (NYSE:MUSA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The specialty retailer reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.79 by $1.21. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.32 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 70.92% and a net margin of 2.59%. Murphy USA’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.21 earnings per share.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,525 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $411.42, for a total value of $627,415.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,670 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,098,491.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,525 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $411.42, for a total value of $627,415.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,670 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,098,491.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Christopher A. Click sold 664 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.55, for a total value of $275,925.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,002,722.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 10,440 shares of company stock worth $4,244,582. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 35,556.0% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 269,916 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $96,241,000 after buying an additional 269,159 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $81,560,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $49,209,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,080,410 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $369,208,000 after buying an additional 140,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,125,000. Institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

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.