FY2024 EPS Estimates for Murphy USA Lowered by Analyst

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) – Analysts at Zacks Research decreased their FY2024 earnings per share estimates for Murphy USA in a research report issued on Tuesday, December 17th. Zacks Research analyst N. Choudhury now expects that the specialty retailer will post earnings of $23.57 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast 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.

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

Murphy USA Stock Performance

MUSA opened at $525.69 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.69 and a beta of 0.78. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $350.55 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.80. The company has a fifty day moving average of $515.11 and a 200 day moving average of $500.27.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Murphy USA by 49,501.3% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp bought a new stake in Murphy USA during the 3rd quarter valued at $53,387,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 99,253 shares during the period. Argent Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1,359.6% during the 2nd quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 93,326 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $43,813,000 after buying an additional 86,932 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Murphy USA during the third quarter valued at $30,122,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This is an increase from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.37%. Murphy USA’s dividend payout ratio is 7.92%.

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.