Energy Transfer (NYSE:ET) Price Target Raised to $25.00

Key Points

• Stifel Nicolaus raised its price target to $25 (from $23) and keeps a "buy" rating, implying roughly a 26% upside
• Energy Transfer's Q1 results showed revenue of $27.77 billion (up ~32% Y/Y) that beat estimates, but EPS missed at $0.35 versus $0.40, and management raised 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance to $18.20–$18.60 billion and increased the distribution.
• The stock traded down about 2.7% to $19.84 amid the earnings miss and some analyst pushback, despite heavy bullish options activity and positive guidance signals.

Energy Transfer (NYSE:ET - Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by equities research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $23.00 to $25.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the pipeline company's stock. Stifel Nicolaus' price objective suggests a potential upside of 25.98% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on ET. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Energy Transfer in a research report on Wednesday. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Energy Transfer in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $22.00 price objective (down from $25.00) on shares of Energy Transfer in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Energy Transfer in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Energy Transfer from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.91.

Energy Transfer Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of Energy Transfer stock traded down $0.55 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $19.84. The company had a trading volume of 10,323,070 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,539,980. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50 day moving average of $19.02 and a 200 day moving average of $17.78. Energy Transfer has a 52-week low of $16.18 and a 52-week high of $20.67.

Energy Transfer (NYSE:ET - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $27.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $25.58 billion. Energy Transfer had a return on equity of 10.17% and a net margin of 5.11%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 32.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.36 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Energy Transfer will post 1.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Energy Transfer

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Energy Transfer by 5,272.3% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 14,935 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 14,657 shares in the last quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Energy Transfer in the 1st quarter worth $336,000. Independent Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Energy Transfer in the 1st quarter worth $2,170,000. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC increased its stake in Energy Transfer by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 36,888 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $712,000 after buying an additional 2,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Helium Advisors LLC increased its stake in Energy Transfer by 18.0% in the 1st quarter. Helium Advisors LLC now owns 16,033 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 2,447 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 38.22% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Energy Transfer

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance to $18.20–$18.60 billion and increased the common unit distribution (to $0.3375), signaling stronger near-term cash-generation expectations and a higher yield for income investors. Energy Transfer (ET) Is Up 5.0% After Raising 2026 EBITDA Guidance And Distributions – Has The Bull Case Changed?
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and volumes surprised to the upside — Q1 sales were $27.77B (up ~32% Y/Y) and management cited record operating volumes, supporting the stronger guidance and showing growth projects feeding through. Energy Transfer's Earnings Soar on Record Volumes. Is the High-Yielding Pipeline Stock Still a Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large bullish options activity — ~102,786 call contracts traded (roughly +93% vs. average), which can amplify short-term upside interest or reflect traders positioning for catalysts. (Reported market activity)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call/slide deck details: management discussed organic capex (~$1.5B YTD in targeted segments), project updates and drivers of the raised guidance; use the call transcript/slide deck to assess sustainability of the cashflow uplift. Energy Transfer LP Common Units (ET) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Official press release provides the full results, distribution actions and guidance context for verification. Energy Transfer Reports First Quarter 2026 Results and Updates 2026 Financial Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 EPS missed consensus (reported $0.35 vs. $0.40 est.), which can weigh on near-term sentiment even though revenue beat — earnings miss likely a headline reason for selling pressure. Energy Transfer Q1 Earnings Lag Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pushback: at least one recent downgrade argues valuation/risks outweigh the yield, adding pressure from income-focused investors reconsidering position size. Energy Transfer: A 7%-Yielding Partnership To Snatch Up Now (Downgrade)

About Energy Transfer

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.