Investing in Master Limited Partnerships | MlpInvestor.com » Midstream MLPs

Infrastructure MLPs May Benefit in Wake of BP Spill

MLPInvestor — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:06:34 +0000

As millions of barrels of oil continue to spill into the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. is beginning to look at viable alternatives to offshore drilling. This is a good thing for infrastructure MLPs, because the logical choice is to increase the use of natural gas as an energy source. More gas demand means more gas moved through pipelines, which means higher profits for these businesses.

Midstream MLPs Still Attractive

MLPInvestor — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:50:43 +0000

In the wake of one of the toughest recessions in US history, many believe the market has undergone a long-term paradigm shift (and there is much in the way of data to support this). While this may be true for stocks, the underlying fundamentals which make investing in midstream Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) attractive continue to endure.

Tackling the Initial “So What” Question

When evaluating investments, I like to start with a pessimistic approach and ask “So What”? If I can’t come up with a compelling answer quickly, then I know I’ve got a problem. So when I came across investing in MLPs I was surprised that the initial, basic argument was easy to formulate (even in this economy):

The demand for energy in the US will continue to grow (forecasts agree)
Midstream MLPs (e.g. pipelines) are required to transport commodities to meet this demand
This demand is relatively inelastic (regardless of commodity price, demand for service remains)
Barriers to competition are very high (sure, I’ll just build a pipeline real quick and compete…)

So, this gets us past our initial “So What” and the basics (Warren Buffett would be proud). In my next post, I’ll drill down further and show you how other existing factors make MLPs even more attractive from an investment perspective.

Kiplinger’s on Crosstex Energy LP

MLPInvestor — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 13:29:32 +0000

The December issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine has an interesting article on finding value in today’s current market. Specifically, the article mentions the rapid decline in commodity prices (such as natural gas) as speculators flee investments in the energy market due to weak demand.

As a result, some pipeline companies (which actually have limited exposure to these prices) have unduly suffered. For example, Crosstex Energy LP (XTEX) has fallen over 70% since July – even though it has continued to grow cash distributions to investors. While it had a rough 3rd quarter due to major Hurricanes, at a price of $8 Crosstex has a whopping 25% distribution yield! However, I like to see a coverage ratio close to 1.3x – Crosstex is below this benchmark with a coverage of around 1x. Still, bottom line is the same – the market is likely undervaluing some of these companies as commodity prices fall.

Barron’s: Pipelines, Infrastructure to Shine in Downturn

MLPInvestor — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:30:03 +0000

Barron’s published an interesting interview with Jay Rosenberg, manager of the First American Global Infrastructure fund. According to Rosenberg, pipelines and infrastructure related companies are attractive in the current economic environment because they offer stable cash flows. Specifically, Rosenberg says:

…we are generally much more focused on those companies that transport petroleum — both crude refined products — and natural gas. But they do so in a way that is very contractual in nature and where their earnings don’t fluctuate very much based on the volumes that they are shipping. The company that best typifies what I’m talking about would be Enbridge (ENB), in particular because of the contractual nature of its gas load. Another company that we like in is Kinder Morgan …whose institutional shares (KMR) we own. Kinder Morgan has a fantastic portfolio of pipeline assets but also has some of the best unique storage assets in the US…

Related Links:

Barron’s Article (subscription may be required)

MLP Focus: Enterprise Products Partners, L.P.

MLPInvestor — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 16:22:32 +0000

One of the largest MLPs in existence today is Houston based Enterprise Products Partners. As measured by enterprise value, EPP is second only to MLP bellwether Kinder Morgan at $21 billion. However, from a liquidity standpoint (the ability to trade LP units on the open market – a key concern of many investors) it bests Kinder Morgan with an average of 560K units traded daily.

Overview

Like many of its peers, EPP is focused on providing midstream energy services to natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGL) and crude oil producers and consumers. Its primary method of doing so is its extensive network of pipelines (both offshore & onshore) which span over 35K miles in length. However, a key differentiator is its ability to tie import / export of NGLs with domestic and international consumers. In fact, NGL has become a very profitable business for EPP, with over half the partnership’s gross operating margin derived from NGL pipelines and services.

The Numbers

Investors like consistency, fiscal conservatism, and cash – and EPP seems to fit the bill with all 3. The partnership has grown cash distributions to LP unitholders at an annual growth rate of 9% per year since 1999, and grew total assets at a 39% CAGR during the same period.

Jan – June 2008 operating margins grew at a double digit pace vs. 2007 with strong performance across all pipeline business segments. Further, distributable cash flow (DCF) grew 41% in 1H ‘08 vs. 1H ‘07 to $730 MM, and the amount of retained DCF grew over 4X to $212 MM. This gives the partnership a comfortable coverage ratio of around 1.47.

In Sum

I don’t issue buy or sell recommendations for any type of security. However, I like EPP and will continue to watch this company as it pursues more projects and grows in the midstream energy space.

Why MLPs Continue to Grow Cash Distributions

MLPInvestor — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:21:53 +0000

The Master Limited Partnership (MLP) has two key components. At the core of the MLP is the General Partner (GP), which actually runs daily operations (e.g., physical management of a pipeline, billing, accounting, etc.) Limited Partners (LPs), on the other hand, are passive investors in the business and have no part in daily operations. The goal of the GP is to grow cash distributions (similar to a stock dividend) to the LPs and, since most MLPs operate in the energy space, these distributions tend to grow steadily over time.

However, the GP has an added incentive to grow cash distributions to LP investors. Why? While the GP typically only has a 2% initial stake in the business, their share of cash distributions can grow significantly once they reach a predefined threshold. For example, the GP may only get 2% of cash distributions up to $0.30 per LP unit, but beyond this point their claim may jump to 15% and sometimes can grow to 50%! Therefore, it is in the interest of the GP to continue growing distributions to LP investors (and is why you rarely see MLPs shrink the cash distribution).

How Oil & Gas Prices Impact MLPs

MLPInvestor — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 14:03:23 +0000

Many investors assume, incorrectly, that fluctuations in oil & gas prices can significantly impact MLP unit prices. However, the truth is that revenue from MLP assets (the majority of which are pipelines) is generated from a “toll road” model. That is, it doesn’t matter how expensive the commodity shipped is – it only matters how much of it gets shipped. Of course, high (or low) prices can impact the amount shipped – but energy demand has been growing fairly consistently over time.

A good analogy is, unsurprisingly, an actual toll road. It doesn’t matter if 100 Honda Civics use the road or 100 Aston Martins – the same toll is collected and, consequently, the same amount of revenue.

Boardwalk Pipeline Posts Higher Q3 Profit

MLPInvestor — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:21:38 +0000

Boardwalk Pipeline (NYSE: BWP) posted higher Q3 results Monday. Net income rose to $40 million ($0.35 per common unit) vs. $30.6 million in Q3 of last year, beating analyst expectations of about $0.28 per unit. The MLP also declared an increase in distributions to $0.45 per unit, which is about 16% higher than Q3 of 2006. The BWP earnings call is scheduled for 9 AM EST and can be found at the link below.

Related Links:

BWP Q3 Earnings Call

KMP Hikes Distributions, Prepares for Rockies Express

MLPInvestor — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:53:42 +0000

Kinder Morgan announced its 30th distribution hike since 1997, increasing distributions to LP unitholders 9% to $0.88. This puts the MLP on track to exceed its annual budget for cash distributions of $3.44. Further, KMP expects the Rockies Express – West pipeline to begin service on Jan. 1, 2008. The project is part of a broader trend toward developing midstream assets in the area, as MLPs seek to capitalize on the lack of existing pipeline infrastructure.

Plains All American Distributions Up 12%

MLPInvestor — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:21:55 +0000

Houston based MLP Plains All American Pipeline LP (NYSE: PAA) announced a quarterly distribution increase of $0.09 to $0.84 payable on November 14, 2007. The increase represents a 12% growth in distributions to LP units (vs. November 2006), and is the 14th consecutive distribution increase by the partnership. This brings 2007 quarterly distributions to $3.28 per unit, and will put the MLP above its annual distribution increase target of 14%.