- March 5, 2010
- By Roger Conrad
Your only protection as an investor is to make sure of the underlying businesses of the MLPs you own. If the business is sound and growing, the unit price is going to go higher over time, even as it pays you a rising stream of distributions. If it’s not, the distribution will stagnate, at best.
- February 26, 2010
- By Elliott H Gue
The MLP Profits Portfolio Conservative Holdings are involved in fee-based business lines and have minimal commodity-price risk. They’re known for their consistent cash flows and steady performance.
- February 19, 2010
- By Roger Conrad
The time to buy anything is not when it’s run up, but when others are running it down. And when commodity prices start to head higher, this is the MLP group in best shape to profit.
- February 12, 2010
- By Elliott H Gue
Here's a rundown of some of the recent acquisitions and expansion projects announced by three of our Growth Portfolio Holdings.
- February 8, 2010
- By Roger Conrad
This week my MLP Profits co-editor Elliott Gue and I addressed the Orlando MoneyShow. This year’s event was bigger than most, and there was, not surprisingly, a great deal of interest in MLPs. Here are the highlights of questions we answered at the show.
- January 28, 2010
- By Elliott H Gue
Hefty yields aside, units of some MLPs just aren't worth the risk.
- January 22, 2010
- By Roger Conrad
With myriad opportunities to buy and build assets, secondary offerings continue to fuel growth in distributable cash flow and distributions, eventually sending unit prices higher as well.
- January 15, 2010
- By Elliott H Gue
Our coverage universe is off to a solid start in 2010; the industry benchmark Alerian MLP Index is up a little over 2 percent, and our Aggressive Portfolio picks are up by roughly twice that amount.
- January 8, 2010
- By Roger Conrad
Rising cash flow boosts distributions, lifting unit prices. Higher unit prices mean equity capital can be raised more cheaply, increasing the number of energy projects that are profitable to acquire or construct. More projects are built or bought, lifting cash flow further and thereafter distributions.
- December 31, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
It’s official: The benchmark Alerian MLP Index logged the best one-year gain in its 14-year history in 2009, a 77 percent total return. After a rally of that magnitude, it’s only logical for investors to wonder if it’s too late to jump aboard.
- December 24, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
One group is certain to benefit from the entry of Super Oils into the natural gas market: energy infrastructure master limited partnerships, the purest plays being our Conservative Holdings.
- December 18, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
The big payoff for George Mitchell came in 2002 when Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN) acquired his firm in a $3.5 billion deal, a fitting recognition of the experience and acreage his firm had in the Barnett Shale.
- December 14, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
No distribution is worth its salt unless the company writing the checks is solid and growing. MLPs enjoy rich tax advantages that allow them to pay much higher distributions than ordinary corporations. But only reliable cash flow guarantees a payout’s stability.
- December 4, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
MLPs involved in the coal mining business take a relatively low-risk approach that allows them to protect revenues amid a volatile and unpredictable market.
- November 25, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
High-quality energy assets with effective monopoly positions that generate virtually recession-proof fee income: That’s the never-ending story of the MLPs in our Conservative Portfolio.
- November 20, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
Publicly traded general partners offer investors a compelling way to leverage their returns in certain MLPs.
- November 12, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
No yield is worth its salt unless it’s sustainable. That’s a lesson heedless yield chasers learned all too painfully during the bear market, as the profligate slashed payouts and saw their share prices crater, some to oblivion.
- November 9, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
Four of the six recommendations in the MLP Profits Aggressive Portfolio have reported third quarter results. All four amply covered their distributions for the period.
- October 29, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
High-quality energy assets with effective monopoly positions that generate virtually recession-proof fee income: That’s the hallmark of the six master limited partnerships that populate the MLP Profits Conservative Portfolio.
- October 22, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
MLPs with sustainable yields and the potential for growth remain a good value.
- October 15, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
Financial system reform has taken a back seat to health care in the Obama administration’s first nine months. This won’t last forever. And that has profoundly unfortunate implications for investors in one group of MLPs: investment partnerships.
- October 9, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
There is one sector of the MLP universe that’s more exposed to commodity prices than the producers over the near term: Gathering and Processing (G&P) MLPs. But this segment is showing signs of recovery and we're monitoring some beaten down names for potential inclusion in our Aggressive Growth Portfolio.
- October 2, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
Systematic asset expansion that consistently boosts cash flow and dividends: That’s what our six Conservative Holdings have in common.
- September 28, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
As always, quality counts: The best-positioned, best-capitalized MLPs can raise money at favorable rates and grab assets from weaker, undercapitalized partnerships at attractive prices.
- September 17, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
Focused on steady, fee-generating assets but able to profit from rising commodity prices: That’s the common thread uniting the five MLPs that populate the Growth Portfolio.
- September 11, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
For many Aggressive MLPs the question is no longer whether they’ll be able to maintain their current payout but how long investors will need to wait before these firms start boosting distributions again.
- September 4, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
The recommendations in our Conservative Portfolio represent the pinnacle of quality. This week, we’re adding a fee-fueled energy infrastructure MLP that focuses on oil.
- August 27, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
Last week Roger Conrad and I gave several presentations and participated in a number of panel discussions at the San Francisco Money Show. Not surprisingly, Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) and MLP Profits were popular topics of discussion. Here’s a rundown of three of the most commonly posed questions and my answers to each.
- August 20, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
A focus on reliable fee-based energy infrastructure, supplemented with commodity price sensitive cash flows with the promise of dramatic upside as economic conditions improve: That’s the hallmark of our Growth Portfolio holdings.
- August 13, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
Not all E&P plays are inherently risky. A handful of partnerships have carved out profitable and surprisingly steady businesses. Better still, the average E&P-focused MLP in our coverage universe yields over 11 percent, a significant premium to the average 8.5 percent yield offered by the Alerian MLP Index.
- August 6, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
Two more Conservative Holdings reported earnings this week, and the news continues to be positive.
- July 31, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
Of the 48 companies in the industry benchmark Alerian MLP Index, only three have cut their payouts over the past year. Even better, 37 stocks in the index have boosted distributions over the past year, and 20 hiked payouts in the second quarter.
- July 24, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
Two years into one of the worst recessions in US history, the four primary US propane pure-play MLPs are all holding up well. There have been zero distribution cuts, and three of the four have continued to increase their payouts at least once over the past year.
- July 16, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
Partnerships engaged in the gathering and processing business have taken their lumps over the past year thanks to lower commodities prices and weaker drilling activity. But these conditions won't persist forever; we highlight a high-yielding MLP that offers significant growth potential for aggressive investors.
- July 9, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
Steadily growing, recession-proof yields of 7 percent and up: That’s what the four current MLP Profits Conservative Holdings have in common. This week we’re adding another dividend power play to their ranks.
- July 2, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
High, tax-advantaged yields are the prime attraction for most investors in master limited partnerships (MLP). And there’s good reason for that: The average MLP in the industry benchmark Alerian MLP Index yields nearly 9 percent, far higher than the 4.3 percent yield available in US Treasury bonds, the 7.2 percent yield on BBB-rated corporate bonds and the 7.8 percent average yield on the Bloomberg REIT Index.
- June 25, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
MLP Profits’ Growth Holdings aren’t wholly immune from economic ups and downs or fluctuations in energy prices. Compensating for that risk, however, are double-digit yields and generally aggressive business plans that offer strong potential for robust dividend growth. And all of our picks are also battle-hardened, tested to withstand all but the worst possible macro conditions.
- June 18, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
The shipping business is well-suited for master limited partnerships (MLP), and several companies in our coverage universe are involved in the industry. The key to investing in maritime transport MLPs is to look for firms that have signed time charter contracts and have little exposure to spot rates or expiring contracts.
- June 11, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
Rising distributions with limited risk are what set apart MLP Profits Conservative Holdings. We look for MLPs primarily that own and operate energy infrastructure, such as pipelines and storage facilities that generate a steady stream of fees.
- May 28, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
When investors think of natural gas production, the first regions that come to mind are Russia, the Middle East and, perhaps, parts of Africa. It might surprise many to learn that the US is actually the second-largest gas producer in the world and, perhaps more importantly, the fastest-growing producer.
- May 22, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
Most master limited partnerships hail from the energy industry. It’s a proven model for flow through entities and it’s where we’ll be concentrating the majority of our efforts in MLP Profits.
That, however, is where the similariti...
- May 22, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
Most master limited partnerships hail from the energy industry. And as that’s the proven model—as well as our chief expertise—that’s where most MLP Profits recommendations will come from.
In the article attached to the Conservat...
- May 22, 2009
- By Roger Conrad
Most master limited partnerships hail from the energy industry. That’s where our focus in MLP Profits is going to be for three reasons. First, it’s the only real proven model for MLPs, and the only one to truly weather the market calamity of the...
Buy good businesses paying high yields as cheaply as possible: If that’s what you’re after, you’re going to find a lot to like in our new service MLP Profits.
Our focus is master limited partnerships, an investment class that’s ...
- May 21, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
Master limited partnerships (MLP) offer double-digit, tax-advantaged yields and strong recession-resistant growth potential. And while most in the group operate in the energy business, the sector has little correlation to commodity prices.
- May 6, 2009
- By KCI Editors
We adhere to four basic rules to identify the best partnerships for you to own and constantly monitor and reevaluate our Portfolio holdings based on this rubric. Any recommendation that fails this litmus test is jettisoned.
- May 6, 2009
- By Elliott H Gue
The prices of key energy-related commodities have fallen sharply since mid-summer, though both oil and natural gas have bounced off their lows in recent weeks.
A publicly traded partnership (PTP) can be one of the best investments you can make from a tax standpoint, but putting your return together can be difficult because of the K-1 form, with which many investors are unfamiliar. The K-1 is one of the biggest reasons why more investors don’t take advantage of PTPs.
Crude oil prices have fallen nearly $30 per barrel and natural gas prices are off $3.50 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) since the beginning of July. This sudden, dramatic correction has sent shockwaves through the energy patch and prompted some unusual volatility in our favorite energy-related publicly traded partnerships (PTPs).
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What's going on with the MLPs - why are they falling?
Editors
 | ELLIOTT GUE
Editor: Personal Finance, The Energy Strategist, The Energy Letter |
 | ROGER CONRAD
Editor: Canadian Edge, Utility Forecaster, Maple Leaf Memo, Utility & Income |
