ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC Sells 1,781 Shares of Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET)

ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC trimmed its position in shares of Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 35,159 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 1,781 shares during the quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Energy Transfer were worth $689,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ET. Burney Co. lifted its stake in shares of Energy Transfer by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 67,618 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $1,325,000 after purchasing an additional 2,058 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new position in Energy Transfer in the fourth quarter worth approximately $237,000. Community Trust & Investment Co. purchased a new position in shares of Energy Transfer during the 4th quarter worth $197,000. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Energy Transfer by 27.0% during the 4th quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 33,621 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $659,000 after acquiring an additional 7,147 shares during the period. Finally, Breakwater Capital Group purchased a new stake in shares of Energy Transfer in the 4th quarter worth $404,000. 38.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Energy Transfer Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of ET stock opened at $20.04 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.70. Energy Transfer LP has a 12-month low of $13.60 and a 12-month high of $20.32. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $18.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.12.

Energy Transfer (NYSE:ET) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The pipeline company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32. The business had revenue of $20.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.59 billion. Energy Transfer had a return on equity of 12.38% and a net margin of 5.90%. The company’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.31 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Energy Transfer LP will post 1.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Energy Transfer Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.3225 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.29 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.44%. Energy Transfer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on ET. Barclays lifted their target price on Energy Transfer from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Energy Transfer from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Energy Transfer from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Energy Transfer in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $20.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Energy Transfer from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $20.82.

About Energy Transfer

Energy Transfer LP provides energy-related services. The company owns and operates natural gas transportation pipeline, and natural gas storage facilities in Texas and Oklahoma; and approximately 20,090 miles of interstate natural gas pipeline. It also sells natural gas to electric utilities, independent power plants, local distribution and other marketing companies, and industrial end-users.