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Murphy USA (MUSA) Delivers Robust Second-Quarter Earnings on Surging Fuel Margins

Sun, September 6, 2026 at 4:37 PM GMT+3 4 min read

• MUSA -2.10%

On August 5, Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) reported second-quarter results that make the case for its unglamorous business model. Net income came in at $209.1 million, or $11.27 per diluted share, up from $145.6 million and $7.36 per share in the same quarter of 2025. Adjusted EBITDA climbed to $377.3 million from $286.0 million. For a company that mostly sells gasoline and convenience store snacks, that is a striking jump, and it did not come from a single lucky quarter.

Fuel Margins Carry The Quarter

The engine behind the gain was fuel. Total fuel contribution reached 40.6 cents per gallon in the quarter, up from 32.0 cents a year earlier, while the retail fuel margin alone rose 20.2% to 35.1 cents per gallon. Volume grew at the same time, with total retail gallons up 3.9% and same-store sales volumes up 0.5%, so Murphy USA was not just pricing better; it was also moving more gas through its pumps. Merchandise held up its end too, with contribution dollars up 4.0% to $227.4 million on unit margins of 20.1%, as nicotine contribution rose 6.1% and non-nicotine contribution grew 2.9%.

The company kept returning cash to shareholders through it all, buying back 143.1 thousand shares for $76.8 million and raising its quarterly dividend 28.0% year over year to $0.64 per share. In May, it issued $500 million of notes due 2034 and used the proceeds to retire $300 million of 2027 notes, pushing out its debt maturities while continuing to open new stores, with 6 net additions in the quarter and 36 more under construction.

Costs Are Creeping Up Too

The quarter's growth came with a heavier expense load. Total store and other operating expenses rose to $308.7 million from $275.2 million, and the company said two-thirds of that increase came from payment processing fees, which climb automatically as retail fuel prices rise. SG&A costs increased to $60.5 million from $50.9 million on higher employee costs and incentive accruals, and the effective tax rate ticked up to 24.7% from 24.4%, with guidance now pointing to the higher end of the company's 23% to 25% full-year range.

Fuel supply contribution, excluding renewable credits, was negative $54.9 million, a wider loss than the negative $25.9 million posted a year earlier. Management's own full-year outlook assumes some cooling ahead: its projection of roughly $636 million in net income and $1.25 billion in Adjusted EBITDA is built on second-half fuel margins averaging 35 cents per gallon, down from 37.9 cents in the first half. Capital expenditures are also being guided to the higher end of the $475 million to $525 million range, meaning the spending pace is not slowing even as margins are expected to.

Wall Street Watches And Waits

Hedge fund ownership slipped slightly, with 40 funds holding a position in the most recent quarter versus 41 in the prior one, a modest pullback rather than a rush for the exits. Short interest sits at 3.98% of the float, a level that signals some skepticism but nothing close to a crowded bearish trade. The stock trades at a forward P/E of 17.67 as of September 4, a multiple that assumes fuel margins hold up reasonably well rather than reverting sharply toward historical norms. None of these figures point in a dramatic direction on their own, which is itself notable given how much earnings jumped this quarter.

What Happens If Margins Cool

Murphy USA's second quarter shows a business converting favorable fuel margins and steady merchandise growth into real earnings power, while still funding buybacks, a bigger dividend, and new store construction. The open question is how much of this quarter's strength was cyclical. Management itself is underwriting a second half fuel margin lower than the first half's, and rising payment fees mean that even higher fuel prices carry a cost alongside a benefit. If fuel margins hold anywhere near recent levels, the current store growth and merchandise gains give the business more to work with.

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