Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Murphy USA’s Q2 2026 earnings at $7.44 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $6.83 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $7.07 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $7.22 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $5.95 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $5.91 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $7.32 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $7.37 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $6.84 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $7.25 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $7.33 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $27.33 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $27.55 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at $6.30 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also commented on MUSA. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $467.00 to $445.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $539.00 target price for the company. Bank of America raised shares of Murphy USA from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $350.00 to $550.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $560.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $493.71.

Murphy USA Stock Up 13.3%

Murphy USA stock traded up $68.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $582.68. 317,078 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 354,099. Murphy USA has a 1 year low of $345.23 and a 1 year high of $582.32. The firm has a market cap of $10.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $468.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $421.76.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.45 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 75.75%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.63 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Murphy USA will post 27.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is currently 10.38%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Malynda K. West sold 3,967 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.00, for a total transaction of $1,785,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 117,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,825,050. The trade was a 3.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 1,155 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $395.19, for a total transaction of $456,444.45. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,543 shares in the company, valued at $609,778.17. The trade was a 42.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 10,919 shares of company stock valued at $4,490,690 in the last three months. 9.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUSA. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 10.2% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $792,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 423.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Cresset Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth $603,000. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth $596,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth $227,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Murphy USA

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations — Q1 net income and EPS jumped year?over?year (EPS $7.28 vs. $2.63 a year ago) and revenue of $4.82B topped estimates; management reported improved fuel contribution and higher retail gallons, which drove the beat and underpins near?term cash flow. Murphy USA Inc. Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded MUSA to Strong Buy and added it to its Rank #1 list while raising near?term and FY2027 EPS estimates — analyst estimate revisions and the upgrade support multiple buy signals from momentum/value models. Here’s Why Murphy USA (MUSA) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other research notes raised several quarterly and FY2027 EPS forecasts after the print (multiple small upward adjustments), signaling improved analyst confidence in consensus earnings power going forward.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price?target action is supportive — at least one published note showed an increased price target (coverage noted by major aggregator), which can attract momentum buying and re?rating interest. Price target increase reported on MSN
• Neutral Sentiment: Public transcripts and coverage provide color but no new surprises — the prepared remarks and press coverage recap the beats and metrics; useful for modeling but largely confirm what drove today’s move. Q1 2026 earnings call prepared remarks transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Regional and business press summarized Q1 results and metrics (revenue/profit increases); these amplify the story but add little incremental data beyond the release. Murphy USA posts higher revenue, profits
• Negative Sentiment: Minor offset — KeyCorp trimmed one quarter’s Q4 2026 EPS modestly in a note (while keeping an Overweight stance and a $600 target). That small cut contrasts with other raises but hasn’t materially changed the consensus.

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.