Energy Transfer (NYSE:ET) Shares Down 1.5% - Time to Sell?

Shares of Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET - Get Free Report) traded down 1.5% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $17.83 and last traded at $17.90. 2,394,006 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 15,478,960 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.16.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Energy Transfer from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Energy Transfer in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Energy Transfer in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Energy Transfer from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $23.00 target price on shares of Energy Transfer in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $22.09.

Energy Transfer Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.12. The firm's 50 day moving average is $17.46 and its 200-day moving average is $18.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.04, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.77.

Energy Transfer (NYSE:ET - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The pipeline company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.03. Energy Transfer had a net margin of 5.74% and a return on equity of 11.56%. The business had revenue of $21.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.32 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Energy Transfer LP will post 1.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Energy Transfer Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.3275 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.30%. This is a boost from Energy Transfer's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. Energy Transfer's payout ratio is 99.24%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Energy Transfer in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Brookstone Capital Management grew its position in Energy Transfer by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 225,829 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $4,424,000 after buying an additional 9,471 shares during the period. Eastern Bank increased its holdings in Energy Transfer by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 7,790 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $153,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Energy Transfer by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 12,847 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its holdings in Energy Transfer by 52.5% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 3,050 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 38.22% of the company's stock.

Energy Transfer Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.