Mplx Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:MPLX)

Mplx Lp (NYSE:MPLX) saw unusually large options trading on Thursday. Traders purchased 14,474 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 458% compared to the average volume of 2,594 call options.

Mplx Stock Performance

MPLX stock traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $56.90. 852,709 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,681,869. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $58.06 and its 200 day moving average is $57.27. The stock has a market cap of $57.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.31, a PEG ratio of 5.37 and a beta of 0.48. Mplx has a 52-week low of $51.60 and a 52-week high of $60.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86.

Mplx (NYSE:MPLX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The pipeline company reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $3.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.35 billion. Mplx had a return on equity of 30.30% and a net margin of 32.91%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.52 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Mplx will post 4.27 EPS for the current year.

Mplx Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 6th will be paid a $1.2111 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 6th. This is a positive change from Mplx’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.0765. This represents a $4.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.5%. Mplx’s payout ratio is 113.08%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MPLX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Mplx from $64.00 to $60.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Wolfe Research lowered Mplx from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Mplx in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on Mplx from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Mplx from $63.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.30.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mplx

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Advus Financial Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Mplx by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Advus Financial Partners LLC now owns 6,191 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mplx by 1.4% in the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,069 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $793,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Mplx by 0.9% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 22,175 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $1,266,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC lifted its stake in Mplx by 0.9% in the third quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 25,046 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $1,411,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in Mplx by 81.5% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 559 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the period. 24.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mplx Company Profile

MPLX LP is a diversified midstream energy company formed by Marathon Petroleum in 2012. It owns and operates infrastructure that gathers, processes, transports and stores energy products, connecting producers and refiners with customers and markets. The company’s assets include natural gas and natural gas liquids gathering and processing facilities, pipelines and fractionation plants, as well as crude oil and refined-product pipelines, storage terminals and inland marine transport operations. Its network serves energy-producing and refining regions across the United States.