Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET) Shares Purchased by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET - Free Report) by 125.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 469,227 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 260,700 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Energy Transfer were worth $9,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stonegate Investment Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Energy Transfer by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 34,320 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $672,000 after buying an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. United Advisor Group LLC increased its position in Energy Transfer by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 18,540 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 534 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC raised its stake in Energy Transfer by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 130,202 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $2,551,000 after buying an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC raised its position in shares of Energy Transfer by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC now owns 135,647 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $2,657,000 after acquiring an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Platform Technology Partners lifted its position in Energy Transfer by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Platform Technology Partners now owns 67,299 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $1,318,000 after buying an additional 553 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 38.22% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on ET shares. Mizuho upped their price target on Energy Transfer from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Energy Transfer in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Energy Transfer from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Energy Transfer from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Energy Transfer from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $22.64.

Energy Transfer Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE:ET traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $17.66. 5,815,677 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,410,917. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Energy Transfer LP has a 12-month low of $14.60 and a 12-month high of $21.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.77. The firm's fifty day moving average is $17.36 and its 200-day moving average is $18.60.

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

Energy Transfer Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a dividend of $0.3275 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This is a positive change from Energy Transfer's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $1.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.42%. Energy Transfer's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 99.24%.

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.