Sunoco LP (NYSE:SUN) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Sunoco LP (NYSE:SUN) have earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $79.00.

Several brokerages have recently commented on SUN. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Sunoco in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Sunoco from $73.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Mizuho set a $83.00 target price on Sunoco in a report on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Sunoco to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Sunoco from $77.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th.

Institutional Trading of Sunoco

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sunoco during the third quarter worth $40,000. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Sunoco by 496.5% during the 4th quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC now owns 853 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 710 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sunoco during the 2nd quarter valued at about $60,000. Cresta Advisors Ltd. acquired a new stake in Sunoco during the fourth quarter worth about $64,000. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sunoco during the first quarter worth about $78,000. Institutional investors own 24.29% of the company’s stock.

Sunoco Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:SUN opened at $76.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $15.64 billion, a PE ratio of 16.89 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. Sunoco has a 12-month low of $47.98 and a 12-month high of $78.11.

Sunoco (NYSE:SUN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by ($1.56). The company had revenue of $14.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.05 billion. Sunoco had a net margin of 2.88% and a return on equity of 18.78%. The company’s revenue was up 164.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.33 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Sunoco will post 9.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sunoco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were paid a dividend of $1.0023 per share. This represents a $4.01 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.3%. This is a boost from Sunoco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.99. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. Sunoco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 88.50%.

About Sunoco

Sunoco LP (NYSE: SUN) is an independent master limited partnership that specializes in the distribution and marketing of transportation fuels and related products. The company operates through two primary segments: wholesale fuel distribution and retail marketing. In wholesale distribution, Sunoco supplies branded fuels to distributors, commercial customers and resellers across the United States. Its retail marketing arm operates a network of company?owned and franchised Sunoco branded service stations and convenience stores, providing gasoline, diesel, ethanol blends and lubricants to consumers.

Sunoco’s product portfolio extends beyond traditional fuels to include biofuels, specialty chemicals and on?road diesel treated to meet ultra?low sulfur requirements.