Sunoco LP (SUN) - What Are Brokerages Saying About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analysts are broadly bullish on Sunoco: Ten brokerages give the stock a consensus “Buy” rating, with an average 12-month price target of $79.38; eight analysts rate it Buy, one Hold, and one Strong Buy.
• Sunoco reported quarterly EPS of $0.94, missing the $2.50 consensus estimate, while revenue surged 164.5% year over year to $14.26 billion.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $1.0023 per share, or about $4.01 annually, representing a 5.5% yield; its payout ratio is 88.72%.

Shares of Sunoco LP (NYSE:SUN - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Buy" by the ten brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $79.38.

SUN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Sunoco from $73.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Sunoco from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Sunoco in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Sunoco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Mizuho set a $83.00 price target on Sunoco in a research note on Friday, July 24th.

Sunoco Price Performance

Shares of Sunoco stock opened at $73.26 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $15.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.21 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock's fifty day moving average is $75.34 and its 200 day moving average is $70.73. Sunoco has a one year low of $49.98 and a one year high of $80.22.

Sunoco (NYSE:SUN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.50 by ($1.56). The company had revenue of $14.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.05 billion. Sunoco had a net margin of 2.88% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 164.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.33 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sunoco will post 9.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Sunoco Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were given a dividend of $1.0023 per share. This is a positive change from Sunoco's previous quarterly dividend of $0.9899. This represents a $4.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. Sunoco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.72%.

Institutional Trading of Sunoco

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sunoco during the 2nd quarter valued at about $60,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its position in shares of Sunoco by 198.2% during the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 978 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sunoco during the first quarter valued at about $78,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of Sunoco by 59.9% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,760 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 659 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sunoco in the first quarter worth about $138,000. 24.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Sunoco

Sunoco LP is a publicly traded master limited partnership that distributes and markets motor fuel in the United States. The company supplies gasoline, diesel, and other refined products to independent dealers, commercial customers, distributors, and convenience-store operators. It also supports fuel sales through the Sunoco brand, which is licensed to retail locations operated by third parties.

In addition to fuel distribution, Sunoco owns and operates a network of refined-product terminals and pipelines used to receive, store, transport, and deliver motor fuels and other petroleum products.

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