Investing Topics: Midstream Energy

There was plenty to talk about this week from telecom to utilities to energy MLPs.

When the research firm Hedgeye came out with a report blasting a long-time favorite of mine—Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP)—my first question was what have they seen that I have not to date? Is there something most of us who research this master limited partnership have overlooked, some critical Achilles heel that could in Hedgeye’s words make Kinder and related companies a “house of cards?”

Similarly, I wondered why Hedgeye had chosen to pick on Kinder, rather than a master limited partnership (MLP) with more obvious troubles such as NuStar Energy (NYSE: NS). The latter, for example, has failed to cover its distribution with distributable cash flow (DCF) for several quarters now, even leaving aside its extremely aggressive capital spending.

Claims that Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (NYSE: KMP) is a "house of cards on the verge of collapse" amount to nothing more than a cry for attention.

Investors shouldn’t automatically assume that dividend-paying equities are inherently safer than tech stocks or other cyclical fare. When an income-oriented stock cuts or eliminates its dividend, investors not only suffer a diminution of income but also a significant loss of principal during the subsequent selloff. Understanding a company’s underlying business and its growth prospects are essential to separating the winners from the losers.

Discipline, consistency and hard work don’t always guarantee success. But they're the necessary foundation of every winning investment strategy.

The pullback in master limited partnerships after the Federal Reserve announced plans to scale back quantitative easing gave investors an opportunity to buy Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (NYSE: KMP) at a favorable price.

The book is now almost closed on calendar first quarter 2013 earnings for my 45 Target List stocks. Utilities and other essential services stocks had a big run to start 2013. As a result, several target list companies have surged well beyond what I’d pay for them. Have a look at my current advice.