Mplx Lp (NYSE:MPLX) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Mplx Lp (NYSE:MPLX - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eight analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $55.50.

Several research analysts have issued reports on MPLX shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on Mplx from $55.00 to $52.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Mplx from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Mplx from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th.

Mplx Price Performance

Shares of Mplx stock traded down $0.24 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $50.72. The company had a trading volume of 1,079,267 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,666,858. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.27. Mplx has a 1-year low of $39.95 and a 1-year high of $54.87. The company has a market capitalization of $51.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.73.

Mplx (NYSE:MPLX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The pipeline company reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.03. Mplx had a return on equity of 32.08% and a net margin of 36.34%. The firm had revenue of $2.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.98 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Mplx will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Mplx Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a $0.9565 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $3.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.54%. Mplx's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mplx

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Mplx by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,904,477 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $330,448,000 after purchasing an additional 266,998 shares during the period. Bramshill Investments LLC raised its holdings in Mplx by 71.4% in the fourth quarter. Bramshill Investments LLC now owns 30,130 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $1,442,000 after purchasing an additional 12,556 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its holdings in Mplx by 221.9% in the fourth quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 643,995 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $30,822,000 after purchasing an additional 443,910 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL raised its holdings in Mplx by 47.5% in the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 18,520 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $886,000 after purchasing an additional 5,965 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Mplx by 17.0% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 108,988 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $5,833,000 after purchasing an additional 15,807 shares during the period. 24.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mplx Company Profile

MPLX LP engages in the operation of midstream energy infrastructure and logistics assets, and distribution fuels services. It operates through the Crude Oil and Products Logistics and Natural Gas and NGL Services segments. The Crude Oil and Products Logistics segment transports, stores, distributes, and markets crude oil, asphalt, refined petroleum products, and water.