Energy Transfer (NYSE:ET) Trading 1.8% Higher – Time to Buy?

Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET)’s stock price traded up 1.8% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $19.83 and last traded at $19.7530. 11,743,103 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 26% from the average session volume of 15,931,868 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.41.

Energy Transfer News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Energy Transfer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Energy Transfer raised its quarterly cash distribution to $0.3375 per common unit (annualized $1.35), implying a roughly 6.9% yield; the company set an ex-dividend/record date of May 8 and will pay on May 20. This distribution increase is a direct positive for income-focused investors and supports demand for the stock. Energy Transfer Announces Increase in Quarterly Cash Distribution
• Positive Sentiment: US Capital Advisors raised EPS forecasts across multiple quarters and FY2028: Q1 2027 to $0.31 (from $0.30), Q3 2027 to $0.33 (from $0.32), Q4 2027 to $0.34 (from $0.33), and FY2028 to $1.31 (from $1.29). Incremental analyst upgrades help validate near-term earnings momentum and reduce downside risk to the payout. (Research note summary)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage notes the stock gained amid broader market weakness and that investor search activity and media interest in ET have recently increased — this can amplify flows but doesn’t change fundamentals. ET Increases Despite Market Slip
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces revisiting ET’s valuation and long-term bull case are circulating; these provide context for holders weighing distribution sustainability vs. growth prospects but are not immediate catalysts. Assessing Energy Transfer (ET) Valuation Long-term Bull Case

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ET. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $22.00 price objective (down from $25.00) on shares of Energy Transfer in a report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Energy Transfer in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Energy Transfer from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Energy Transfer from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Energy Transfer in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Energy Transfer currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.60.

Energy Transfer Trading Up 1.8%

The company has a market capitalization of $67.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.70.

Energy Transfer (NYSE:ET) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The pipeline company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $25.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.56 billion. Energy Transfer had a net margin of 5.11% and a return on equity of 10.17%. Energy Transfer’s revenue was up 29.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.29 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Energy Transfer LP will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Energy Transfer Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.3375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This is an increase from Energy Transfer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.35 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.8%. Energy Transfer’s payout ratio is presently 110.74%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Energy Transfer

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ET. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in shares of Energy Transfer by 41.6% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 86,310,272 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $1,423,256,000 after buying an additional 25,366,594 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new position in Energy Transfer during the third quarter valued at $264,309,000. Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Energy Transfer by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 83,843,087 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $1,382,573,000 after purchasing an additional 6,192,066 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Energy Transfer by 3.2% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 57,862,666 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $992,923,000 after purchasing an additional 1,773,042 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC lifted its position in Energy Transfer by 128.0% during the fourth quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 2,585,439 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $42,634,000 after purchasing an additional 1,451,613 shares during the period. 38.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Energy Transfer Company Profile

Energy Transfer (NYSE: ET) is a Dallas-based midstream energy company that develops and operates infrastructure for the transportation, storage and processing of hydrocarbons. The company’s operations focus on moving and storing natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), crude oil and refined products through an integrated network of pipelines, terminals, storage facilities and processing plants. Energy Transfer provides core midstream services such as gathering, compression, fractionation, processing, and bulk transportation to support production and downstream supply chains.

Its asset base spans an extensive network across the United States, connecting producing regions, processing centers, petrochemical hubs and coastal and inland markets.