Mplx Lp (NYSE:MPLX) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Mplx Lp (NYSE:MPLX) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $42.71.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MPLX shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Mplx from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Mplx from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Mplx from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Mplx from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Mplx by 2.2% during the third quarter. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 12,784 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $455,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in Mplx by 1.2% during the first quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 26,220 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $903,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Mplx by 12.9% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,710 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co raised its holdings in Mplx by 23.4% during the fourth quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,711 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lee Financial Co increased its holdings in Mplx by 5.1% in the third quarter. Lee Financial Co now owns 6,821 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. 24.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mplx Stock Performance

NYSE MPLX opened at $41.31 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Mplx has a 1 year low of $33.12 and a 1 year high of $41.31. The company has a market capitalization of $41.75 billion, a PE ratio of 10.84 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a fifty day moving average of $39.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.03.

Mplx (NYSE:MPLX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The pipeline company reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.15. Mplx had a net margin of 34.82% and a return on equity of 31.85%. The company had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.78 earnings per share. Mplx’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Mplx will post 4 earnings per share for the current year.

Mplx Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 5th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 2nd. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.23%. Mplx’s dividend payout ratio is currently 89.24%.

Mplx Company Profile

MPLX LP owns and operates midstream energy infrastructure and logistics assets primarily in the United States. It operates in two segments, Logistics and Storage, and Gathering and Processing. The company is involved in the gathering, processing, and transportation of natural gas; gathering, transportation, fractionation, storage, and marketing of natural gas liquids; gathering, storage, transportation, and distribution of crude oil and refined products, as well as other hydrocarbon-based products and renewables; and sale of residue gas and condensate.