NuStar Energy L.P. (NYSE:NS) Shares Acquired by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in NuStar Energy L.P. (NYSE:NS - Free Report) by 21.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,112,629 shares of the pipeline company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,086,994 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. owned about 4.86% of NuStar Energy worth $114,184,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NS. Alps Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of NuStar Energy by 30.0% in the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 19,865,418 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $346,453,000 after acquiring an additional 4,586,344 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of NuStar Energy by 42.8% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 132,684 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $2,314,000 after purchasing an additional 39,772 shares during the period. Fractal Investments LLC increased its position in shares of NuStar Energy by 33.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fractal Investments LLC now owns 643,707 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $11,226,000 after purchasing an additional 160,270 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in shares of NuStar Energy by 71.8% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 163,759 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $2,856,000 after purchasing an additional 68,431 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NuStar Energy by 47.4% in the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,149,680 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $37,490,000 after buying an additional 691,604 shares during the last quarter. 63.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NuStar Energy Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NS stock traded down $0.12 on Friday, reaching $22.84. 594,823 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 414,732. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $23.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.95. NuStar Energy L.P. has a 52 week low of $14.70 and a 52 week high of $24.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.89 billion, a PE ratio of 32.17 and a beta of 1.70.

NuStar Energy (NYSE:NS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The pipeline company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.11. NuStar Energy had a net margin of 16.75% and a return on equity of 107.61%. The firm had revenue of $451.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $433.69 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.34 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that NuStar Energy L.P. will post 1.1 EPS for the current year.

NuStar Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 6th. NuStar Energy's payout ratio is 225.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $23.00 target price (up previously from $20.00) on shares of NuStar Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. StockNews.com began coverage on NuStar Energy in a research note on Friday. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded NuStar Energy from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of NuStar Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, Raymond James reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of NuStar Energy in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $19.43.

About NuStar Energy

NuStar Energy L.P. engages in the transportation, terminalling, and storage of petroleum products and renewable fuels, and transportation of anhydrous ammonia in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Pipeline, Storage, and Fuels Marketing. The Pipeline segment engages in the transportation of refined products, crude oil, and anhydrous ammonia.