FY2024 EPS Estimates for Murphy USA Cut by Zacks Research

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research dropped their FY2024 EPS estimates for shares of Murphy USA in a report released on Tuesday, December 17th. Zacks Research analyst N. Choudhury now forecasts that the specialty retailer will post earnings of $23.57 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $23.89. The consensus estimate for Murphy USA’s current full-year earnings is $23.59 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Murphy USA’s Q4 2024 earnings at $6.33 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $4.87 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $6.85 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $7.00 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $7.25 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $5.56 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $6.87 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $28.05 EPS.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.64 by $0.56. The firm had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.54 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 62.73%. The business’s revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $7.69 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on MUSA. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Murphy USA from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $415.00 to $435.00 in a report on Thursday, September 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $495.33.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA traded up $4.57 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $524.77. The company had a trading volume of 6,468 shares, compared to its average volume of 192,171. Murphy USA has a 12-month low of $350.55 and a 12-month high of $561.08. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $515.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $500.27. The stock has a market cap of $10.63 billion, a PE ratio of 21.65 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.37%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 7.92%.

Institutional Trading of Murphy USA

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 49,501.3% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 388,874 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $191,664,000 after acquiring an additional 388,090 shares during the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at $53,387,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,751,206 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $863,116,000 after acquiring an additional 99,253 shares during the last quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1,359.6% in the second quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 93,326 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $43,813,000 after acquiring an additional 86,932 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA in the third quarter valued at about $30,122,000. 80.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Murphy USA

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.