Western Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE:WES) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Western Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE:WES) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the six analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $41.1667.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WES shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Western Midstream Partners from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Western Midstream Partners from $40.00 to $39.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Western Midstream Partners from $43.00 to $42.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Western Midstream Partners from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th.

Western Midstream Partners Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of WES stock opened at $40.97 on Friday. Western Midstream Partners has a fifty-two week low of $33.60 and a fifty-two week high of $44.74. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $40.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.34. The company has a market cap of $16.13 billion, a PE ratio of 13.66 and a beta of 0.77.

Western Midstream Partners (NYSE:WES) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.44). The business had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. Western Midstream Partners had a return on equity of 33.14% and a net margin of 30.52%.Western Midstream Partners’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Western Midstream Partners will post 4.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Midstream Partners Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. Western Midstream Partners’s dividend payout ratio is presently 121.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Christopher B. Dial sold 5,879 shares of Western Midstream Partners stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.35, for a total transaction of $248,975.65. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 185,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,835,215.85. This trade represents a 3.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WES. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Western Midstream Partners during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of Western Midstream Partners during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in shares of Western Midstream Partners by 76.2% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 793 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Midstream Partners in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new stake in Western Midstream Partners in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors own 84.82% of the company’s stock.

About Western Midstream Partners

Western Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE: WES) is a midstream energy infrastructure company that owns, operates and develops an integrated network of crude oil, natural gas and produced water gathering, processing, transportation and storage assets in the United States. The partnership’s primary offerings include pipeline transportation, fractionation services, natural gas liquids (NGL) logistics and produced water handling. Through its fee-based and commodity-based contracts, Western Midstream provides its customers with essential services that support efficient energy production and distribution.

The company’s asset portfolio spans key onshore basins, including the Delaware Basin in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, the San Juan Basin in New Mexico and Colorado, and the Denver-Julesburg Basin in Colorado.