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Murphy USA MUSA

Murphy USA scores weak on business quality (3.8 of 10). Here is why, in plain words, and what our sealed record shows.

Last price$529.14Oct 9, 2026
Business qualityWeak
Next earningsOct 28, 2026
Insiders, 90 daysSelling

Why it matters

  1. What Murphy USA does

    Murphy USA operates a chain of retail gasoline stores, primarily located near Walmart supercenters, making money through high-volume fuel sales and high-margin merchandise.

  2. What it does best

    Murphy USA excels at squeezing high volumes out of compact retail footprints, posting a return on equity of 94.6% that easily outpaces peers like PAG at 16.5%. This dense layout model creates an operational edge that big-box competitors struggle to replicate efficiently.

  3. The main risk

    Debt load remains a structural worry, carrying a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.5 against just $29 million in cash. If fuel margins compress unexpectedly, servicing this $2.2 billion total debt stack leaves little room for operational error.

Quality, check by check

Scored against its own industry, from company filings.

ProfitabilityWeak

Gross margins sit thin at 12.2% with operating margins at 4.3%, reflecting low-margin fuel dominance. Profitability remains constrained by commodity price swings and lacks strong scaling benefits.

MoatStrong

Real estate placement near Walmart stores locks in steady customer foot traffic, placing return on equity in the top quartile of its sector at 94.5%. Rivals cannot easily displace these prime adjacent lots.

GrowthSlow

Revenue fell 4.2% to $21.5 billion, extending a multi-year slowdown visible since 2022 when sales peaked at $23.4 billion. The top-line engine is actively fading.

Financial healthFair

Debt stands at $2.2 billion against $29 million in cash, creating a heavy leverage load. Free cash flow reached $541 million, supporting ongoing buybacks. Getting softer overall.

Insiders

Executives and directors, from SEC Form 4 filings we read ourselves. Open market trades only; grants, option exercises and pre-planned sales left out.

2 sold $605K outside pre-planned sales.

Our sealed record on MUSA

Verdicts appear here 30 days after we publish them; members see today's. Each one is in the nightly ledger, fingerprinted the night it was made.

The first sealed verdicts appear here on Oct 11, 2026.

Questions

Is MUSA a good business?

Murphy USA scores weak on the Cluenex quality check (3.8 of 10), measured against its own industry. Profitability is weak, moat strong, growth slow and financial health fair.

Are insiders buying MUSA?

In the last 90 days of SEC Form 4 filings: 2 sold $605K outside pre-planned sales.

When does MUSA report earnings?

Oct 28, 2026.

For members

See MUSA today

  • Today's verdict on MUSA, and why
  • Fair value with cautious, base and optimistic cases
  • The exact price that would change the verdict
  • Which stocks each signal names, the night it fires
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Cite this page: Cluenex, “Murphy USA (MUSA)”, https://cluenex.com/stocks/musa/, data as of Oct 10, 2026.