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Murphy USA Inc.: Q2 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q2 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 5 August 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 3 new, 9 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Net income and EPS rose sharply: Net income was $209.1 million, or $11.27 diluted EPS, against $145.6 million, or $7.36, a year earlier. Six-month net income was $345.4 million. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose on fuel contribution: Adjusted EBITDA was $377.3 million against $286.0 million. Six-month Adjusted EBITDA was $655.2 million against $443.4 million. Source
  • Fuel contribution drove most of the gain: Total fuel contribution rose $125.8 million, or 32.0%, to $518.8 million, mainly from higher total fuel contribution margin and higher retail fuel volumes. Source
  • Retail fuel margin rose 20%: Retail fuel margin was 35.1 cents per gallon, up 20.2% from 29.2 cents a year earlier. Six-month retail margin was 30.5 cents per gallon. Source
  • Merchandise contribution rose 4.0%: Merchandise contribution was $227.4 million, up $8.7 million, on sales of $1,132.1 million and a unit margin of 20.1%, against 20.0% a year earlier. Source
  • Payment fees drove most cost increase: Store and other operating expenses rose $33.5 million to $308.7 million. Higher fuel prices lifted payment fees, which made up two-thirds of the increase. Source

“Fuel results, together with merchandise contribution growth and continued expense discipline, drove meaningful growth in earnings and Adjusted EBITDA during the quarter.”

President and CEO Mindy West

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
New stores Sourcecalendar year 202645 to 55Kept
Raze-and-rebuilds Sourcecalendar year 2026Up to 30Kept
Retail fuel volume per store (APSM) Sourcefull year 2026233 to 237 K gallonsKept
Retail fuel volume per store (same-store) Sourcefull year 2026(3.0)% to (1.0)%Kept
Merchandise contribution Sourcefull year 2026$890 to $900 millionKept
Store OPEX excluding payment fees and rent Sourcefull year 2026$37.0 to $38.0 thousand per store-monthKept
SG&A Sourcefull year 2026$240 to $250 millionKept
Effective tax rate Sourcefull year 202623% to 25%Kept
Capital expenditures Sourcefull year 2026$475 to $525 millionKept
Net income Sourcefull year 2026approximately $636 millionNew
Adjusted EBITDA Sourcefull year 2026approximately $1.25 billionNew
All-in fuel margin (second half) Sourcesecond half 202635 cents per gallonNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Full-year 2026 net income and Adjusted EBITDA figures were given in this release. The prior release gave no such figures. Source
  • Guidance kept: Original ranges for new stores, retail fuel volume per store and same-store volume are unchanged in the current expectation. Source
  • New: Company issued $500 million of 5.875% Senior Notes due 2034 and retired $300 million of 5.625% notes due 2027, using most of the proceeds and paying down the revolver. Source
  • New: Quarterly dividend paid June 1, 2026 was $0.64 per share. The March 2026 dividend was $0.63 per share, per the prior release. Source
  • Ended: The revolver, which held $160.0 million of borrowings at March 31, 2026 per the prior release, was undrawn at June 30, 2026. Source

Results and fuel-led growth

  • Net income and EPS rose sharply: Net income was $209.1 million, or $11.27 diluted EPS, against $145.6 million, or $7.36, a year earlier. Six-month net income was $345.4 million. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose on fuel contribution: Adjusted EBITDA was $377.3 million against $286.0 million. Six-month Adjusted EBITDA was $655.2 million against $443.4 million. Source
  • Fuel contribution drove most of the gain: Total fuel contribution rose $125.8 million, or 32.0%, to $518.8 million, mainly from higher total fuel contribution margin and higher retail fuel volumes. Source
  • Marketing segment earnings rose: The Marketing Segment table shows net income from operations of $232.8 million for the quarter, against $167.9 million in the prior-year quarter. Source

Fuel margins and volumes

  • Retail fuel margin rose 20%: Retail fuel margin was 35.1 cents per gallon, up 20.2% from 29.2 cents a year earlier. Six-month retail margin was 30.5 cents per gallon. Source
  • Fuel supply and RINs added contribution: Fuel supply including RINs rose $36.0 million, to 5.5 cents per gallon from 2.8, on market pricing and inventory timing. RINs were $124.8 million against $59.8 million. Source
  • Retail volumes rose in the quarter: Chain retail gallons were 1,277.6 million, up 3.9%. Same-store volume per store-month rose 0.5%, and APSM volume rose 0.3%. Source

“Retail fuel margins were reflective of persistent volatility throughout the second quarter, as the Company delivered year-over-year and sequential improvement in both same-store and total fuel volumes, which were up 0.5% and 3.9%, respectively.”

President and CEO Mindy West

Merchandise and customer spending

  • Merchandise contribution rose 4.0%: Merchandise contribution was $227.4 million, up $8.7 million, on sales of $1,132.1 million and a unit margin of 20.1%, against 20.0% a year earlier. Source
  • Nicotine drove the contribution gain: Nicotine contribution dollars rose 6.1% and non-nicotine contribution dollars rose 2.9% against the prior-year quarter. Source
  • Same-store sales and contribution edged up: Same-store merchandise sales rose 1.0% and same-store merchandise contribution rose 2.2%. Source
  • Non-nicotine store sales slipped: Same-store non-nicotine sales revenue was $76.1 million for the quarter, against $77.4 million a year earlier. Source

Operating costs and tax

  • Payment fees drove most cost increase: Store and other operating expenses rose $33.5 million to $308.7 million. Higher fuel prices lifted payment fees, which made up two-thirds of the increase. Source
  • Store costs per store rose slightly: Store operating expense excluding payment fees and rent was $36.5 thousand per store-month, 1.1% higher, mainly from employee costs tied to new stores. Source
  • SG&A rose on pay and incentives: SG&A was $60.5 million, up $9.6 million, mainly from employee-related expenses and incentive accruals. Source
  • Tax rate edged higher: The effective income tax rate was 24.7%, against 24.4% a year earlier. Income tax expense was $68.5 million. Source

“market conditions remain supportive of healthy retail margins and suggest the business is on pace to deliver significantly higher Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA in 2026.”

President and CEO Mindy West

Store network and development

  • Store count reached 1,806: Store count at June 30, 2026 was 1,806, including 1,659 Murphy USA and 147 Express QuickChek stores, raze-and-rebuild stores included. Source
  • 36 stores under construction: At quarter end, 36 stores were under construction: 32 new-to-industry stores and 4 raze-and-rebuilds. Source
  • Raze-and-rebuild reopenings: Five raze-and-rebuild stores reopened in Q2 and six reopened year-to-date. Source

Cash, debt and shareholder returns

  • Operating cash flow and cash balance: Operating cash flow was $235.0 million in Q2, against $255.1 million, and $555.0 million year-to-date, against $383.6 million. Cash was $175.4 million. Source
  • Share repurchases of $76.8 million: The company bought about 143.1 thousand shares for $76.8 million at an average of $536.60. Shares outstanding at June 30 were 18,380,347. Source
  • Repurchase authorization remaining: About $145.1 million remained under the $1.5 billion 2023 authorization. A further $2.0 billion is available under the 2025 authorization, which expires December 31, 2030. Source
  • Dividends paid year to date: Year-to-date dividends totaled $23.5 million, or $1.27 per share. The second-quarter cash payment was $11.8 million. Source
  • Long-term debt rose year on year: Long-term debt including finance lease obligations was $2,167.0 million at June 30, against $2,066.7 million a year earlier. Source

Strategy and growth investment

  • Organic growth remains the priority: Management said it prioritizes organic growth in capital spending, with the new-store team focused on delivering 2026 openings. Source
  • Land pipeline investment increases: Investment in the land pipeline is rising, alongside proactive maintenance across the network. Source
  • 2027 store construction pulled forward: Construction of stores scheduled to open in 2027 is being pulled forward into 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Comparable sales SourceSame-store merchandise sales +1.0%; same-store retail fuel volume +0.5% (Q2 2026)
Inventory Source$417.4 million at June 30, 2026 (December 31, 2025: $413.0 million)
Store openings and closings SourceQ2 2026: 6 new-to-industry openings, 3 closures, net change 3
Gross margin SourceMerchandise unit margin 20.1% in Q2 2026 (20.0% in Q2 2025)

Risks management discussed

  • External: Management said the full-year fuel volume result depends on the macro fuel environment for the rest of the year, so no estimate is given within the volume ranges. Source
  • Financial: Higher general and administrative expense, greater depreciation and amortization, and higher interest expense were cited as factors that reduced earnings growth. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • On track: The first-quarter release said the company was on pace for 45 to 55 new stores in 2026. The second-quarter release says additions will be closer to 45.
  • On track: Management said capital expenditures remain on track to hit the high end of the original guided range of $475 to $525 million. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.