Sunoco LP (NYSE:SUN) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Sunoco LP (NYSE:SUN) has been given an average rating of “Buy” by the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $65.00.

SUN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $65.00 price target on Sunoco and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of Sunoco in a report on Monday, November 17th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Sunoco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Sunoco from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Sunoco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st.

Sunoco Stock Down 0.6%

Sunoco stock opened at $56.93 on Friday. Sunoco has a 52 week low of $47.98 and a 52 week high of $59.88. The stock has a market cap of $11.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.43 and a beta of 0.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $54.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.79. The company has a current ratio of 3.11, a quick ratio of 2.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33.

Sunoco (NYSE:SUN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.54 by ($0.90). Sunoco had a net margin of 2.61% and a return on equity of 13.94%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.26) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Sunoco will post 10.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sunoco

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of SUN. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sunoco in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sunoco in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sunoco in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in Sunoco by 41.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,360 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Sunoco by 95.9% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,379 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. 24.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sunoco Company Profile

Sunoco LP (NYSE: SUN) is an independent master limited partnership that specializes in the distribution and marketing of transportation fuels and related products. The company operates through two primary segments: wholesale fuel distribution and retail marketing. In wholesale distribution, Sunoco supplies branded fuels to distributors, commercial customers and resellers across the United States. Its retail marketing arm operates a network of company‐owned and franchised Sunoco branded service stations and convenience stores, providing gasoline, diesel, ethanol blends and lubricants to consumers.

Sunoco’s product portfolio extends beyond traditional fuels to include biofuels, specialty chemicals and on‐road diesel treated to meet ultra‐low sulfur requirements.