After experiencing a precipitous fall off during the recent selling, master limited partnerships and related exchange traded products jumped Wednesday on Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) analysts’ upgrades for several midstream energy MLPs and bargain purchases.
The JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN (NYSEArca: AMJ), an exchange traded note that tracks the Alerian MLP Index, rose 4.2% Wednesday. AMJ, though, plunged 11.3% over the past week.
Earlier this week, Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts upgraded the outlook for EnLink Midstream (NYSE: ENLC), Magellan Midstream partners (NYSE: MMP), NuStar Energy Partners (NYSE: NS), NuStar GP (NYSE: NSH), Sunoco Logistics Partners (NYSE: SXL), Susser Petroleum Partners (NYSE: SUSP), Teekay Offshore Partners (NYSE: TOO) and Western Gas Partners (NYSE: WES).
The Alerian MLP Index includes MMP 6.4%, NS 1.4%, SXL 2.3% TOO 0.7% and WES 1.7%.
Unlike other energy sector stocks, MLPs primarily deal with distribution and storage of energy products, so their business model is less reliant on the commodities market since MLPs profit off the quantity of oil and natural gas they are able to move around. Consequently, the recent selling may not have to do with the falling energy prices.
Miller Howard, a money manager that specializes in income-producing stocks, points out that MLPs act like toll-takers, writes Tom Lauricella for the Wall Street Journal. However, Howard notes that the misconception may be driving the recent selling.
“Why so wild in MLP-land?” Howard said in a client letter. “There are many novice investors in MLPs that don’t really know what they are, what they do, or what the long-term story is. They’re just in it for the yield, or following the ‘hot dot’ of excellent performance for the past decade.”
The money manager points out that most MLP oil contracts are long term, so temporary short-term price swings have no effect on revenue. Additionally, the majority of MLP revenue comes out of moving natural gas and other natgas liquids, which are tied to volumes and not price of the commodities.
Looking ahead, fundamentals are still in place since “there is far from enough infrastructure to serve the domestic energy industry, even if it slows a bit,” Howard added. [MLP ETFs Reveal Long-Term Staying Power]
JPMorgan Alerian MLP Index ETN
For more information on master limited partnerships, visit our MLPs category.
Max Chen contributed to this article.