Enterprise Products Partners Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:EPD)

Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors purchased 34,749 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 263% compared to the average daily volume of 9,561 call options.

Institutional Trading of Enterprise Products Partners

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. FLC Capital Advisors grew its stake in shares of Enterprise Products Partners by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. FLC Capital Advisors now owns 117,160 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $3,674,000 after purchasing an additional 5,300 shares during the period. Smart Money Group LLC boosted its holdings in Enterprise Products Partners by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. Smart Money Group LLC now owns 38,890 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,220,000 after buying an additional 6,500 shares in the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC grew its position in Enterprise Products Partners by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 23,022 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $722,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the period. Evanson Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Enterprise Products Partners by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Evanson Asset Management LLC now owns 73,470 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,304,000 after buying an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Enterprise Products Partners during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $220,000. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Enterprise Products Partners Stock Performance

EPD traded up $0.34 during trading on Thursday, hitting $33.68. 2,355,074 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,746,866. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $31.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.15. Enterprise Products Partners has a 1-year low of $26.12 and a 1-year high of $34.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.61, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.09.

Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.01). Enterprise Products Partners had a net margin of 10.32% and a return on equity of 20.31%. The company had revenue of $13.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Enterprise Products Partners will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Enterprise Products Partners Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.535 per share. This is a boost from Enterprise Products Partners’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. Enterprise Products Partners’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on EPD shares. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Enterprise Products Partners from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $35.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Enterprise Products Partners in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $35.00 price target for the company. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Enterprise Products Partners from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Enterprise Products Partners in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Enterprise Products Partners in a research note on Friday, January 10th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $33.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Enterprise Products Partners presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.60.

About Enterprise Products Partners

Enterprise Products Partners L.P. provides midstream energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), crude oil, petrochemicals, and refined products. It operates in four segments: NGL Pipelines & Services, Crude Oil Pipelines & Services, Natural Gas Pipelines & Services, and Petrochemical & Refined Products Services.