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Investing Topics: Master Limited Partnerships

Dividend Cuts Are All the Rage This Spring

By Roger S. Conrad on May. 14, 2017
Several names on our Endangered Dividends List slashed their payouts over the past month.

Eyes on the Prize

By Roger S. Conrad on Mar. 12, 2017
Fewer than one in five stocks in our Utility Report Card trades below our value-based buy targets. Investors should stay disciplined and take their opportunities when they come.

Pipelines And Politics

By Roger S. Conrad on Jan. 30, 2017
Could Donald Trump's support for the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines foment local opposition to other energy projects?

Mind the Borrowing Costs

By Roger S. Conrad on Jan. 10, 2017
Rising interest rates will exert additional strain on all the names in our Endangered Dividends List. And the higher rates go, the greater the risk that these stragglers will seek to conserve cash by reducing their payouts.

High Yielders vs Dividend Growers

By Roger S. Conrad on Dec. 21, 2016
A dividend cut hits investors with a double-whammy, reducing their current income and catalyzing a sharp selloff in the stock. In contrast, a steadily increasing payout eventually will push a company’s share price higher, particularly when it’s supported by the underlying business.

Agility Test

By Roger S. Conrad on Dec. 11, 2016
Volatility defined this year’s action in utility stocks, giving agile investors an opportunity to juice their returns by buying and selling a bit more than usual.

More Midstream Cuts

By Roger S. Conrad on Dec. 11, 2016
Sunoco Logistics Partners LP's proposed acquisition of Energy Transfer Partners LP will result in a stealth distribution cut of 27 percent for the latter's unitholders. Meanwhile, Ferrellgas Partners LP slashed its payout by 81 percent. Readers who follow our Endangered Dividends List would have avoided this pain.

Deal Talk

By Roger S. Conrad on Dec. 5, 2016
We sift through the pending acquisitions involving companies in our Utility Report Card and highlight some potential takeover targets.

Dividend Safety: Interest Rates Matter

By Roger S. Conrad on Nov. 16, 2016
Thanks to 15 years of cutting operating risk and debt, not even a much higher spike in borrowing costs would threaten dividends of best-in-class utilities. With ample cash flow and minimum near-term borrowing needs, they can hold off until pension funds and other institutional buyers must return to the table. Unfortunately for the weaker credits covered in our Utility Report Card, rising interest rates could ratchet up the pressure on their balance sheets and force them to redeploy cash that they currently pay out as dividends.  

 Volatile Stock, Steady Business

By Roger S. Conrad on Nov. 16, 2016
Despite recent volatility, this master limited partnership's underlying operations have delivered stable results since oil prices started to tumble in summer 2014. The addition of a new growth platform sets the stage for more upside.

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