Stifel Financial Corp Buys 676,729 Shares of Western Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE:WES)

Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Western Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE:WES - Free Report) by 624.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 785,096 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 676,729 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.21% of Western Midstream Partners worth $30,171,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its position in Western Midstream Partners by 555.6% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,180 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Western Midstream Partners in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Western Midstream Partners in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new stake in Western Midstream Partners during the 4th quarter worth $58,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Western Midstream Partners by 34.7% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. 84.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Western Midstream Partners from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Western Midstream Partners presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $38.43.

Western Midstream Partners Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of Western Midstream Partners stock traded down $0.71 on Wednesday, hitting $37.55. 324,370 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,246,888. The company has a market capitalization of $14.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 2.40. The company has a fifty day moving average of $39.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Western Midstream Partners, LP has a one year low of $33.60 and a one year high of $43.33.

Western Midstream Partners Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. This is an increase from Western Midstream Partners's previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.69%. Western Midstream Partners's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.32%.

About Western Midstream Partners

Western Midstream Partners, LP, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a midstream energy company primarily in the United States. It is involved in gathering, compressing, treating, processing, and transporting natural gas; gathering, stabilizing, and transporting condensate, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and crude oil; and gathering and disposing produced water.