Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Down 10.2% Following Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) traded down 10.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday after Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on the stock from $410.00 to $400.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Murphy USA traded as low as $397.80 and last traded at $399.2810. 417,109 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 41% from the average session volume of 295,458 shares. The stock had previously closed at $444.85.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on MUSA. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Murphy USA from $467.00 to $445.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Murphy USA in a research report on Monday, December 29th. KeyCorp set a $500.00 target price on Murphy USA in a research note on Thursday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Murphy USA in a report on Friday, January 9th. They issued an “underperform” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $457.50.

Insider Activity at Murphy USA

In other Murphy USA news, CEO Malynda K. West sold 3,967 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 117,389 shares in the company, valued at $52,825,050. The trade was a 3.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO R Andrew Clyde sold 16,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $381.33, for a total transaction of $6,196,612.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 59,172 shares in the company, valued at $22,564,058.76. This trade represents a 21.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 49,001 shares of company stock worth $19,134,872. Corporate insiders own 9.04% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Murphy USA

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company laid out an explicit plan to drive EBITDA to $1.2B by 2028 via disciplined store expansion and cost management — a multi‑year profitability target that supports longer‑term upside if execution stays on track. Murphy USA outlines EBITDA path to $1.2B by 2028
• Positive Sentiment: Reported Q4 EPS of $7.53, beating consensus (around $6.67–$6.91) — EPS beat indicates operating leverage and margin improvements even as top‑line growth was weak. Murphy USA (MUSA) Q4 Earnings Top Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call highlighted strategic growth amid competitive pressures — management reiterated growth initiatives but acknowledged headwinds in the retail fuel environment (read the call highlights for color). Murphy USA Inc (MUSA) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings/transcript coverage is available for detail — useful for investors who want management’s commentary on margins, CapEx and store cadence. Murphy USA Inc. (MUSA) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target from $410 to $400 and moved to an “equal weight” view — a near‑term vote of caution that can pressure sentiment. Wells Fargo price target cut
• Negative Sentiment: RBC lowered its target to $445 and set a “sector perform” rating — another analyst downshift that reduces consensus upside and likely contributed to selling. Murphy USA Price Target Lowered to $445 at RBC
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the EPS beat, revenue came in below estimates and QuiverQuant flagged declines in cash and high insider selling activity — data points that raise short‑term concerns about cash flow and insider confidence. Murphy USA Releases Q4 2025 Earnings: EPS Beat but Revenue Miss

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MUSA. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in Murphy USA by 82.4% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 317.6% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 71 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Murphy USA by 423.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Murphy USA Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $414.52 and a 200 day moving average of $393.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.59, a P/E/G ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.38.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The specialty retailer reported $7.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $0.86. The company had revenue of $4.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.88 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 75.75%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.96 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 EPS for the current year.

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.