Encore Global Management LP Purchases New Stake in Energy Transfer LP $ET

Encore Global Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 189,000 shares of the pipeline company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,648,000. Energy Transfer makes up approximately 2.5% of Encore Global Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Energy Transfer by 41.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 86,310,272 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $1,423,256,000 after acquiring an additional 25,366,594 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Energy Transfer by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 83,843,087 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $1,382,573,000 after purchasing an additional 6,192,066 shares during the period. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC acquired a new stake in Energy Transfer in the 1st quarter valued at $61,760,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Energy Transfer by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 57,862,666 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $992,923,000 after purchasing an additional 1,773,042 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC increased its holdings in Energy Transfer by 128.0% in the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 2,585,439 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $42,634,000 after purchasing an additional 1,451,613 shares in the last quarter. 38.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Energy Transfer News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Energy Transfer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Energy Transfer was upgraded to Strong Buy after analysts cited reduced project-execution risk and a raised full-year EBITDA outlook. First-quarter EBITDA reportedly increased about 20% year over year to approximately $4.9 billion, while guidance was raised to as much as $18.6 billion. NGL debottlenecking and the Hugh Brinson Pipeline are progressing ahead of or on schedule, potentially supporting additional earnings growth. Energy Transfer: Strong Buy On A Quiet Multiple, A Loud Guidance Raise
• Positive Sentiment: The partnership announced its nineteenth consecutive quarterly cash-distribution increase, raising the payment to $0.34 per common unit, or $1.36 annualized. The distribution is payable August 19 to unitholders of record August 7, reinforcing ET’s appeal to income-focused investors and signaling confidence in cash-flow growth. Energy Transfer Announces Nineteenth Consecutive Increase in Quarterly Cash Distribution
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see potential for faster distribution growth, with a projected 2027 payout of approximately $1.416 per unit and a forward yield above 7%. Diversification across midstream businesses and leverage below management’s target range further support the bullish income thesis. Energy Transfer: A 7% Yield With Upsizing Distribution Growth On The Horizon
• Neutral Sentiment: ET is being featured as a low-beta, relatively defensive stock amid market uncertainty and higher oil prices, which may attract investors seeking stability. Zacks.com Featured Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Leverage of roughly 3.85 times EBITDA remains higher than that of some peers, potentially limiting valuation expansion and keeping investors focused on debt reduction and distribution coverage. Energy Transfer: A 7% Yield With Upsizing Distribution Growth On The Horizon

Energy Transfer Stock Performance

Energy Transfer stock opened at $20.23 on Wednesday. Energy Transfer LP has a 12-month low of $16.18 and a 12-month high of $20.70. The company has a market capitalization of $69.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $19.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.04.

Energy Transfer (NYSE:ET) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $27.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.78 billion. Energy Transfer had a return on equity of 9.77% and a net margin of 4.66%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 32.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.36 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Energy Transfer LP will post 1.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Energy Transfer Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.7%. This is a positive change from Energy Transfer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. Energy Transfer’s payout ratio is presently 112.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Energy Transfer in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $23.00 target price (up from $22.00) on shares of Energy Transfer in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Energy Transfer in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $23.00 target price (up from $21.00) on shares of Energy Transfer in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Energy Transfer from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.50.

Energy Transfer Profile

Energy Transfer (NYSE: ET) is a Dallas-based midstream energy company that develops and operates infrastructure for the transportation, storage and processing of hydrocarbons. The company’s operations focus on moving and storing natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), crude oil and refined products through an integrated network of pipelines, terminals, storage facilities and processing plants. Energy Transfer provides core midstream services such as gathering, compression, fractionation, processing, and bulk transportation to support production and downstream supply chains.

Its asset base spans an extensive network across the United States, connecting producing regions, processing centers, petrochemical hubs and coastal and inland markets.