NuStar Energy L.P. (NYSE:NS) Shares Bought by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its holdings in NuStar Energy L.P. (NYSE:NS) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 95,250 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,260 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System owned about 0.08% of NuStar Energy worth $1,779,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. RIA Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in NuStar Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of NuStar Energy by 234.0% in the 4th quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,164 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,516 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in NuStar Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $183,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in NuStar Energy by 37.7% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 11,702 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 3,204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH acquired a new stake in shares of NuStar Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $442,000. 63.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $23.00 price objective (up previously from $20.00) on shares of NuStar Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. StockNews.com began coverage on NuStar Energy in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded NuStar Energy from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $18.00 to $21.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Raymond James restated a “market perform” rating on shares of NuStar Energy in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of NuStar Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.33.

NuStar Energy Price Performance

NS remained flat at $21.96 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.93, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.81. The company’s 50 day moving average is $22.87 and its 200 day moving average is $20.67. The stock has a market cap of $2.78 billion, a PE ratio of 30.93 and a beta of 1.69. NuStar Energy L.P. has a 1 year low of $14.70 and a 1 year high of $24.50.

NuStar Energy (NYSE:NS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The pipeline company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.15). NuStar Energy had a net margin of 12.90% and a return on equity of 88.49%. The business had revenue of $390.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $413.12 million. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that NuStar Energy L.P. will post 1.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NuStar Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a None dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th were paid a $0.212 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 25th. NuStar Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 225.35%.

About NuStar Energy

NuStar Energy L.P. engages in the transportation, terminalling, and storage of petroleum products and renewable fuels, and transportation of anhydrous ammonia in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Pipeline, Storage, and Fuels Marketing. The Pipeline segment engages in the transportation of refined products, crude oil, and anhydrous ammonia.