Energy Stocks Surge as Pipeline Investments Gain Favor
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 13 2026
0mins
Source: Fool
- Investor Shift to Energy Stocks: As oil prices rise, investors are significantly returning to energy stocks, particularly pipeline stocks, which exhibit lower revenue and earnings volatility compared to exploration and production companies, making them suitable for long-term investments.
- Growth Potential of Energy Transfer: Energy Transfer owns over 140,000 square miles of midstream energy infrastructure, and its 442-mile Hugh Brinson Pipeline is expected to supply natural gas to both electric utilities and AI data centers, driving future distribution growth targets of 3% to 5%.
- Stable Returns from Hess Midstream: Hess Midstream has never cut its distribution since going public, currently offering a forward distribution yield of approximately 7.9%, and has consistently increased payouts over the past nine years, targeting 5% annual distribution growth through 2028.
- Strong Distribution Growth of MPLX: MPLX boasts a 10-year track record of distribution growth, with a current forward distribution yield of 7.4%, and a 12.5% growth rate over the past year, with projections indicating continued increases of 12.5% over the next two years.
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Analyst Views on ET
Wall Street analysts forecast ET stock price to rise
11 Analyst Rating
7 Buy
4 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 19.600
Low
17.00
Averages
20.65
High
23.00
Current: 19.600
Low
17.00
Averages
20.65
High
23.00
About ET
Energy Transfer LP owns and operates a diversified portfolios of energy assets in the United States, with more than 140,000 miles of pipeline and associated energy infrastructure. The Company’s strategic network spans 44 states with assets in all of the major United States production basins. Its core operations include complementary natural gas midstream, intrastate and interstate transportation and storage assets; crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGL) and refined product transportation and terminalling assets; and NGL fractionation. The Company’s segments include intrastate transportation and storage, interstate transportation and storage, midstream, NGL and refined products transportation and services, crude oil transportation and services, investment in Sunoco LP, investment in USA Compression Partners, LP (USAC), and all other. It also owns Lake Charles LNG Company, LLC, its wholly owned subsidiary, which owns an LNG import terminal and regasification facility.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Partnership Collaboration: The platform's development involves collaboration with the Canadian defense industry, with Evertz Microsystems Ltd. as a foundational partner, leveraging its global experience in real-time data fusion solutions to drive ATHORA's implementation.
- Modernization Challenges: ATHORA aims to address the fragmentation of systems and disconnection of data flows in current military architectures by providing secure interoperability and decision advantages, thereby enhancing operational capabilities across land, sea, air, space, cyber, and electromagnetic domains.
- Supporting Domestic Capability: The platform aligns with the Canadian government's Defense Industrial Strategy, aiming to assist local SMEs in transitioning capabilities from development to operational deployment more rapidly, thereby strengthening Canada's sovereign capabilities and intellectual property.
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- Rating Upgrade: Jefferies has upgraded Energy Transfer from Hold to Buy, raising the price target from $21 to $23, reflecting the company's ongoing success in natural gas and liquids, alongside potential benefits from rising commodity prices.
- Improved Fundamentals: Analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith notes that Energy Transfer's fundamentals are stronger than when coverage began, driven by U.S. production trends and rising gas-oil ratios in the Permian, indicating enhanced competitive positioning.
- Project Acceleration: The company has sanctioned over $9 billion in projects since December 2024, which is expected to drive an EBITDA compound annual growth rate of approximately 4.8%, significantly above Wall Street consensus, highlighting the company's growth potential.
- Capital Expenditure Outlook: Energy Transfer anticipates $5 billion to $5.5 billion in annual growth capex through FY 2030, with the analyst suggesting that this forecast may underestimate the company's actual growth opportunities, further boosting investor confidence.
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- AI Data Center Growth: The surge in demand for uninterrupted power from AI data centers has led to at least a 19% increase in stock prices for midstream energy companies like Enterprise Products Partners, Enbridge, and Energy Transfer, reflecting strong market demand and investor confidence.
- Attractive Dividends: Enterprise Products Partners has raised its dividend for 28 consecutive years, with a 2.8% increase this year to $0.55 per quarter, resulting in a current yield of approximately 5.58%, showcasing its robust cash flow coverage.
- Stable Financial Model: All three companies utilize a toll-road financial model, with 85% to 98% of cash flows derived from long-term contracts, ensuring stable revenue in inflationary environments; Enterprise Products Partners and Energy Transfer maintain distribution coverage ratios of about 1.7 to 1.8, providing ample free cash flow for new project investments.
- Energy Transfer's Expansion Potential: Among the three, Energy Transfer stands out due to its favorable valuation and highest dividend yield, with an aggressive expansion strategy aimed at capturing the AI data center boom, presenting strong growth potential despite certain risks, making it a prime investment choice currently.
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Midstream Energy Companies Show Significant Dividend Growth
- Dividend Growth Trend: Enterprise Products Partners has raised its dividend for 28 consecutive years, with a 2.8% increase this year to $0.55 per quarter, resulting in a current yield of 5.58%, indicating strong cash flow coverage and potential for future increases.
- Strong Performance: In Q1 2026, Enterprise Products Partners reported adjusted EBITDA of $2.7 billion, a 10% year-over-year increase, driven by record natural gas liquids production, with DCF rising 34.5% compared to the same quarter last year, further solidifying its market position.
- Impact of Energy Transition: The rise of data centers and AI is driving growth for midstream companies like Enbridge and Energy Transfer, the latter boasting a dividend yield of 6.6% and having consistently raised its distribution for 18 consecutive quarters, showcasing its competitive edge in the market.
- Optimistic Market Outlook: Despite potential oil price fluctuations affecting midstream pipeline volumes, the long-term contract-based fee model of all three companies demonstrates strong financial resilience, with expectations to continue benefiting from the demand generated by AI data centers.
See More
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- Analyst Target Increase: TD Cowen analyst Jason Gabelman raised Energy Transfer's price target from $22 to $23 while maintaining a Buy rating, indicating improved EBITDA guidance for fiscal 2026 driven by optimization opportunities, reflecting a strong financial outlook.
- Growing Market Demand: Bank of America also raised its target to $24, highlighting the strength of natural gas liquids and natural gas markets, suggesting that the company benefits from robust U.S. hydrocarbon production and export demand growth, enhancing its investment appeal.
- Infrastructure Advantage: Energy Transfer LP boasts a comprehensive infrastructure network, including pipelines, storage facilities, and processing assets, effectively handling natural gas, crude oil, and their derivatives, ensuring competitiveness in the transitional energy market.
- Investment Potential Assessment: While analysts are optimistic about ET's prospects, they note that certain AI stocks may offer greater upside potential and lower downside risk, urging investors to exercise caution in their selections.
See More
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- High Market Valuation: The S&P 500 index currently has a price-to-earnings ratio of 32, indicating a historically expensive market, yet many investors remain optimistic about top-performing stocks, which could lead to sharp pullbacks and impact investor confidence in the short term.
- Energy Transfer Investment: Energy Transfer (ET) comprises about 4% of my portfolio, transporting natural gas and oil through over 140,000 miles of pipeline, with expected earnings per unit growth of 17% to $1.41, and a 6.6% dividend yield providing stable cash flow for investors.
- Amazon's Long-Term Potential: Amazon's stock accounts for 11% of my portfolio, and despite a 765% increase, I remain bullish on its future growth, particularly due to the rapid expansion of its cloud business AWS and advertising segment, which are expected to drive overall profit growth.
- Leadership in AI Market: By expanding Bedrock and launching more AI tools, Amazon is evolving into a vertically integrated leader in the rapidly growing AI market, which will further enhance its competitiveness in e-commerce, and despite a current P/E ratio of 31, I am confident in its long-term prospects.
See More
Calian Launches ATHORA Platform to Enhance Military Capabilities
- Platform Launch: Calian Group Ltd. has announced the launch of ATHORA™, a platform designed to accelerate military operational readiness and capability integration through an open system architecture, enhancing defense modernization for Canada and its allies.
- Partnership Collaboration: The platform's development involves collaboration with the Canadian defense industry, with Evertz Microsystems Ltd. as a foundational partner, leveraging its global experience in real-time data fusion solutions to drive ATHORA's implementation.
- Modernization Challenges: ATHORA aims to address the fragmentation of systems and disconnection of data flows in current military architectures by providing secure interoperability and decision advantages, thereby enhancing operational capabilities across land, sea, air, space, cyber, and electromagnetic domains.
- Supporting Domestic Capability: The platform aligns with the Canadian government's Defense Industrial Strategy, aiming to assist local SMEs in transitioning capabilities from development to operational deployment more rapidly, thereby strengthening Canada's sovereign capabilities and intellectual property.
See More
Jefferies Upgrades Energy Transfer to Buy with $23 Price Target
- Rating Upgrade: Jefferies has upgraded Energy Transfer from Hold to Buy, raising the price target from $21 to $23, reflecting the company's ongoing success in natural gas and liquids, alongside potential benefits from rising commodity prices.
- Improved Fundamentals: Analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith notes that Energy Transfer's fundamentals are stronger than when coverage began, driven by U.S. production trends and rising gas-oil ratios in the Permian, indicating enhanced competitive positioning.
- Project Acceleration: The company has sanctioned over $9 billion in projects since December 2024, which is expected to drive an EBITDA compound annual growth rate of approximately 4.8%, significantly above Wall Street consensus, highlighting the company's growth potential.
- Capital Expenditure Outlook: Energy Transfer anticipates $5 billion to $5.5 billion in annual growth capex through FY 2030, with the analyst suggesting that this forecast may underestimate the company's actual growth opportunities, further boosting investor confidence.
See More
Midstream Energy Companies Thrive Amid AI Data Center Boom
- AI Data Center Growth: The surge in demand for uninterrupted power from AI data centers has led to at least a 19% increase in stock prices for midstream energy companies like Enterprise Products Partners, Enbridge, and Energy Transfer, reflecting strong market demand and investor confidence.
- Attractive Dividends: Enterprise Products Partners has raised its dividend for 28 consecutive years, with a 2.8% increase this year to $0.55 per quarter, resulting in a current yield of approximately 5.58%, showcasing its robust cash flow coverage.
- Stable Financial Model: All three companies utilize a toll-road financial model, with 85% to 98% of cash flows derived from long-term contracts, ensuring stable revenue in inflationary environments; Enterprise Products Partners and Energy Transfer maintain distribution coverage ratios of about 1.7 to 1.8, providing ample free cash flow for new project investments.
- Energy Transfer's Expansion Potential: Among the three, Energy Transfer stands out due to its favorable valuation and highest dividend yield, with an aggressive expansion strategy aimed at capturing the AI data center boom, presenting strong growth potential despite certain risks, making it a prime investment choice currently.
See More
Midstream Energy Companies Show Significant Dividend Growth
- Dividend Growth Trend: Enterprise Products Partners has raised its dividend for 28 consecutive years, with a 2.8% increase this year to $0.55 per quarter, resulting in a current yield of 5.58%, indicating strong cash flow coverage and potential for future increases.
- Strong Performance: In Q1 2026, Enterprise Products Partners reported adjusted EBITDA of $2.7 billion, a 10% year-over-year increase, driven by record natural gas liquids production, with DCF rising 34.5% compared to the same quarter last year, further solidifying its market position.
- Impact of Energy Transition: The rise of data centers and AI is driving growth for midstream companies like Enbridge and Energy Transfer, the latter boasting a dividend yield of 6.6% and having consistently raised its distribution for 18 consecutive quarters, showcasing its competitive edge in the market.
- Optimistic Market Outlook: Despite potential oil price fluctuations affecting midstream pipeline volumes, the long-term contract-based fee model of all three companies demonstrates strong financial resilience, with expectations to continue benefiting from the demand generated by AI data centers.
See More
Energy Transfer LP: Top Natural Gas Stock for Transition Power
- Analyst Target Increase: TD Cowen analyst Jason Gabelman raised Energy Transfer's price target from $22 to $23 while maintaining a Buy rating, indicating improved EBITDA guidance for fiscal 2026 driven by optimization opportunities, reflecting a strong financial outlook.
- Growing Market Demand: Bank of America also raised its target to $24, highlighting the strength of natural gas liquids and natural gas markets, suggesting that the company benefits from robust U.S. hydrocarbon production and export demand growth, enhancing its investment appeal.
- Infrastructure Advantage: Energy Transfer LP boasts a comprehensive infrastructure network, including pipelines, storage facilities, and processing assets, effectively handling natural gas, crude oil, and their derivatives, ensuring competitiveness in the transitional energy market.
- Investment Potential Assessment: While analysts are optimistic about ET's prospects, they note that certain AI stocks may offer greater upside potential and lower downside risk, urging investors to exercise caution in their selections.
See More
S&P 500 Near Record High as Investors Rush In
- High Market Valuation: The S&P 500 index currently has a price-to-earnings ratio of 32, indicating a historically expensive market, yet many investors remain optimistic about top-performing stocks, which could lead to sharp pullbacks and impact investor confidence in the short term.
- Energy Transfer Investment: Energy Transfer (ET) comprises about 4% of my portfolio, transporting natural gas and oil through over 140,000 miles of pipeline, with expected earnings per unit growth of 17% to $1.41, and a 6.6% dividend yield providing stable cash flow for investors.
- Amazon's Long-Term Potential: Amazon's stock accounts for 11% of my portfolio, and despite a 765% increase, I remain bullish on its future growth, particularly due to the rapid expansion of its cloud business AWS and advertising segment, which are expected to drive overall profit growth.
- Leadership in AI Market: By expanding Bedrock and launching more AI tools, Amazon is evolving into a vertically integrated leader in the rapidly growing AI market, which will further enhance its competitiveness in e-commerce, and despite a current P/E ratio of 31, I am confident in its long-term prospects.
See More
