Mplx (NYSE:MPLX) Lowered to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Mplx (NYSE:MPLX) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Wednesday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Barclays raised their price target on Mplx from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Mplx from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday. Raymond James raised their price target on Mplx from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. UBS Group raised their price target on Mplx from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Mplx from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $44.57.

Mplx Price Performance

MPLX opened at $41.61 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $40.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.13. Mplx has a 1 year low of $33.12 and a 1 year high of $42.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.06 billion, a PE ratio of 10.92 and a beta of 1.35.

Mplx (NYSE:MPLX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The pipeline company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.99 by ($0.01). Mplx had a net margin of 34.82% and a return on equity of 31.85%. The company had revenue of $2.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.91 EPS. Mplx’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Mplx will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mplx Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. Mplx’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 89.24%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. PSI Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Mplx by 63.6% in the fourth quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 900 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the period. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mplx in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. HBC Financial Services PLLC acquired a new position in Mplx in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Mplx in the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Register Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mplx in the first quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 24.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mplx Company Profile

MPLX LP owns and operates midstream energy infrastructure and logistics assets primarily in the United States. It operates in two segments, Logistics and Storage, and Gathering and Processing. The company is involved in the gathering, processing, and transportation of natural gas; gathering, transportation, fractionation, storage, and marketing of natural gas liquids; gathering, storage, transportation, and distribution of crude oil and refined products, as well as other hydrocarbon-based products and renewables; and sale of residue gas and condensate.