Mplx Lp (NYSE:MPLX) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Mplx Lp (NYSE:MPLX - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nine research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.44.

MPLX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Mplx from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Mplx in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on Mplx from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Mplx from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Mplx from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th.

Mplx Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE MPLX traded up $0.53 on Tuesday, reaching $49.62. 1,176,706 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,855,969. Mplx has a fifty-two week low of $35.51 and a fifty-two week high of $49.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.37. The business's fifty day moving average price is $45.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40.

Mplx (NYSE:MPLX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The pipeline company reported $1.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by ($0.04). Mplx had a net margin of 36.77% and a return on equity of 32.70%. The firm had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Mplx will post 4.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Mplx Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.9565 per share. This represents a $3.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This is a boost from Mplx's previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. Mplx's dividend payout ratio is currently 90.33%.

Insider Activity at Mplx

In other news, VP Carl Kristopher Hagedorn sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.24, for a total value of $188,960.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $696,790. This trade represents a 21.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mplx

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Mplx by 73.3% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,066 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 451 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Mplx by 450.0% during the second quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Mplx in the third quarter valued at $51,000. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Mplx during the 2nd quarter worth about $67,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Mplx during the 2nd quarter worth about $88,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.25% of the company's stock.

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.