Energy Transfer (NYSE:ET) Trading Up 1.2% – Should You Buy?

Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET) shares were up 1.2% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $16.44 and last traded at $16.40. Approximately 22,516,626 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 51% from the average daily volume of 14,927,772 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.21.

Energy Transfer News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Energy Transfer is increasing the transportation capacity on the Transwestern Pipeline Desert Southwest expansion — the upsize should lift fee revenue and utilization on a long‑lived asset, supporting cash flow that underpins the distribution. Energy Transfer to Upsize Transwestern Pipeline’s Desert Southwest Expansion Project
• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the Dakota Access pipeline should continue operating, reducing a major regulatory and litigation overhang for ET (owner/operators) and lowering near‑term disruption risk to fee‑based cash flows. Dakota Access pipeline should continue operating, US Army Corps of Engineers says
• Positive Sentiment: Several retail pieces highlight ET’s high dividend yield (around ~8%) and long pipeline footprint as a defensive, income‑oriented trade — that narrative can attract income investors who prioritize yield and cash flow stability. 3 Cheap Dividend Stocks That Can Beat Inflation and Pay You to Wait
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from The Motley Fool and others notes Energy Transfer’s positioning to benefit from rising natural gas demand tied to exports and big power users (e.g., data centers), supporting the mid‑ to long‑term throughput outlook. 3 Ultra High-Yield Stocks to Buy With $10,000 and Hold Forever
• Neutral Sentiment: A retrospective piece on returns if you’d invested $100 in ET five years ago highlights long‑term total return but is not a fresh catalyst — useful context for buy‑and‑hold investors. If You Invested $100 In Energy Transfer Stock 5 Years Ago, You Would Have This Much Today
• Negative Sentiment: Energy Transfer said it is suspending development of its Lake Charles LNG export project to reallocate capital to pipeline projects — the move reduces optionality and future LNG growth exposure, which investors priced as a growth detractor. Energy Transfer suspends development of its Lake Charles LNG export project
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley downgraded ET to equal weight and several bearish/critical commentaries (e.g., Seeking Alpha) raise concerns about execution, capital allocation and earnings consistency — analyst downgrades and negative research pressure sentiment and can weigh on the stock. Energy Transfer LP downgraded to equal weight from overweight at Morgan Stanley
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term price weakness noted in coverage (Zacks: ET stock down while market gains) reflects investor caution after mixed earnings and strategic shifts. Energy Transfer LP (ET) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here’s Why

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Energy Transfer from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $17.00 price objective on shares of Energy Transfer and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Energy Transfer in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of Energy Transfer from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Energy Transfer from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Energy Transfer has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.75.

Energy Transfer Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $56.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.12, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.65. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $16.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.41.

Energy Transfer (NYSE:ET) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.06). Energy Transfer had a return on equity of 10.71% and a net margin of 5.66%.The business had revenue of $19.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.32 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Energy Transfer LP will post 1.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Energy Transfer Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th were issued a $0.3325 dividend. This is a boost from Energy Transfer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $1.33 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.1%. Energy Transfer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.40%.

Insider Activity

In other Energy Transfer news, Director Kelcy L. Warren acquired 1,000,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.95 per share, for a total transaction of $16,950,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 104,577,803 shares in the company, valued at $1,772,593,760.85. The trade was a 0.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ET. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Energy Transfer by 93.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 24,530 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $481,000 after purchasing an additional 11,844 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Energy Transfer during the first quarter worth $204,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Energy Transfer during the 1st quarter valued at $49,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Energy Transfer by 223.5% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,069,534 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $19,883,000 after acquiring an additional 738,885 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in shares of Energy Transfer in the 1st quarter worth $17,177,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 38.22% of the company’s stock.

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.