StockNews.com Begins Coverage on NuStar Energy (NYSE:NS)

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of NuStar Energy (NYSE:NS) in a report released on Monday. The brokerage issued a buy rating on the pipeline company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on NS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an underweight rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of NuStar Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of NuStar Energy from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $18.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Raymond James reissued a market perform rating on shares of NuStar Energy in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reissued a hold rating and issued a $23.00 target price (up from $20.00) on shares of NuStar Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $19.33.

NuStar Energy Price Performance

NS opened at $22.37 on Monday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $20.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.49 and a beta of 1.70. NuStar Energy has a 52-week low of $14.70 and a 52-week high of $24.50.

NuStar Energy (NYSE:NS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The pipeline company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $451.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $433.69 million. NuStar Energy had a net margin of 16.75% and a return on equity of 107.61%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.34 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that NuStar Energy will post 1.1 EPS for the current year.

NuStar Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a None dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a $0.212 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. NuStar Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 225.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NuStar Energy

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. RIA Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of NuStar Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in NuStar Energy by 55.9% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,002 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 718 shares in the last quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NuStar Energy by 234.0% in the fourth quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,164 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,516 shares during the period. Lee Financial Co grew its stake in NuStar Energy by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Lee Financial Co now owns 3,670 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 571 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in NuStar Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $183,000. 63.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About NuStar Energy

NuStar Energy L.P. engages in the transportation, terminalling, and storage of petroleum products and renewable fuels, and transportation of anhydrous ammonia in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Pipeline, Storage, and Fuels Marketing. The Pipeline segment engages in the transportation of refined products, crude oil, and anhydrous ammonia.