Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET) Shares Acquired by Royal Fund Management LLC

Royal Fund Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 99,941 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,770 shares during the period. Royal Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Energy Transfer were worth $1,379,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Rise Advisors LLC increased its position in Energy Transfer by 88.2% during the 4th quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 1,978 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 927 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in Energy Transfer by 42.9% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,500 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. Community Bank N.A. increased its position in Energy Transfer by 55.9% during the 4th quarter. Community Bank N.A. now owns 2,651 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 951 shares in the last quarter. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Energy Transfer during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Energy Transfer in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 38.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 price target (up previously from $18.00) on shares of Energy Transfer in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Energy Transfer from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Energy Transfer from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $18.00.

Energy Transfer Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ET traded up $0.11 during trading on Friday, reaching $15.89. 9,335,518 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,461,461. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.10. Energy Transfer LP has a 12-month low of $12.18 and a 12-month high of $16.07. The firm has a market cap of $53.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58 and a beta of 1.63. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $15.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.39.

Energy Transfer (NYSE:ET) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The pipeline company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.08. Energy Transfer had a return on equity of 12.17% and a net margin of 4.85%. The business had revenue of $20.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.34 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Energy Transfer LP will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Energy Transfer Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.317 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $1.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.98%. This is a boost from Energy Transfer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Energy Transfer’s payout ratio is presently 115.60%.

About Energy Transfer

Energy Transfer LP provides energy-related services. The company owns and operates natural gas transportation pipeline, and natural gas storage facilities in Texas and Oklahoma; and approximately 20,090 miles of interstate natural gas pipeline. It also sells natural gas to electric utilities, independent power plants, local distribution and other marketing companies, and industrial end-users.