Mplx Lp (NYSE:MPLX) Receives $54.00 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Mplx Lp (NYSE:MPLX - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $54.00.

MPLX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Mplx from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Mplx from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Mplx from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price objective on Mplx from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

Mplx Trading Down 2.2 %

NYSE:MPLX traded down $1.14 on Friday, hitting $50.93. The stock had a trading volume of 1,648,648 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,756,412. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $51.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.83. The stock has a market cap of $52.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.10, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Mplx has a 1-year low of $39.84 and a 1-year high of $54.87.

Mplx (NYSE:MPLX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The pipeline company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.07 billion. Mplx had a return on equity of 31.94% and a net margin of 36.18%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Mplx will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mplx Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.9565 dividend. This represents a $3.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.51%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Mplx's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Shawn M. Lyon bought 4,000 shares of Mplx stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $52.75 per share, with a total value of $211,000.00. Following the acquisition, the vice president now owns 25,299 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,334,522.25. This trade represents a 18.78 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CFO4Life Group LLC raised its holdings in Mplx by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 19,200 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $919,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Colonial River Investments LLC increased its position in Mplx by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Colonial River Investments LLC now owns 11,603 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $621,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mplx by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,603 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $621,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. RE Dickinson Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mplx by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. RE Dickinson Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,017 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mplx by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 21,520 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $1,030,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 24.25% of the company's stock.

About Mplx

MPLX LP engages in the operation of midstream energy infrastructure and logistics assets, and distribution fuels services. It operates through the Logistics and Storage (L&S) and Gathering and Processing (G&P) segments. The Logistics and Storage segment transports, stores, distributes, and markets crude oil, asphalt, refined petroleum products, and water.