Suburban Propane Partners (NYSE:SPH) Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Price action: Shares recently crossed above the 200-day moving average (200‑day = $19.32), trading as high as $20.26 and last at $20.23 on the session cited.
• Analyst sentiment: Multiple firms have upgraded SPH (Argus to "strong‑buy", Weiss to "buy"), leaving an overall average rating of "Buy".
• Fundamentals & payout: The company reported an EPS beat ($0.69 vs. $0.53) but missed revenue estimates, offers a high 6.4% dividend yield ($0.325 quarterly, $1.30 annual) and exhibits elevated leverage (debt/equity 2.11) with tight liquidity (current ratio 0.87).

Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. (NYSE:SPH - Get Free Report) passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $19.32 and traded as high as $20.26. Suburban Propane Partners shares last traded at $20.23, with a volume of 108,606 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on SPH. Argus upgraded shares of Suburban Propane Partners to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Suburban Propane Partners from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Suburban Propane Partners to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy".

Suburban Propane Partners Trading Up 0.9%

The stock has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.97 and a beta of 0.44. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $20.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

Suburban Propane Partners (NYSE:SPH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The energy company reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $370.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $392.00 million. Suburban Propane Partners had a net margin of 9.30% and a return on equity of 19.94%.

Suburban Propane Partners Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 3rd were issued a $0.325 dividend. This represents a $1.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 3rd. Suburban Propane Partners's payout ratio is currently 64.04%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Suburban Propane Partners

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SPH. Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Suburban Propane Partners by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 15,051,196 shares of the energy company's stock worth $279,049,000 after purchasing an additional 724,170 shares during the period. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Suburban Propane Partners by 24.5% in the third quarter. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. now owns 1,016,000 shares of the energy company's stock worth $18,948,000 after purchasing an additional 200,000 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in Suburban Propane Partners by 4.8% in the third quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 4,177,601 shares of the energy company's stock worth $77,912,000 after purchasing an additional 192,154 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Suburban Propane Partners by 11.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,370,534 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $28,795,000 after acquiring an additional 142,547 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Suburban Propane Partners during the second quarter valued at $2,278,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 30.94% of the company's stock.

About Suburban Propane Partners

Suburban Propane Partners L.P. NYSE: SPH is a publicly traded master limited partnership headquartered in Whippany, New Jersey, that provides propane and related energy services to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers. As one of the largest propane retailers in the United States, the company delivers propane gas, heating oil, diesel fuel and natural gas throughout its service territories. In addition to fuel distribution, Suburban Propane offers HVAC installation, maintenance and repair services, as well as safety inspections and equipment leasing to support customers' energy needs.

The company's core business centers on the delivery of propane for space and water heating, cooking and agricultural applications.

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