Entries by Simon Lack

What Do They Know That We Don’t?

The other day a client asked if we’d looked at insider buying among management teams of pipeline companies. So far this year, Energy Transfer (ET) dominates with $108MM, representing 63% of all the insider buys so far. Kelcy Warren receives plenty of criticism, not least from this blog (see Energy Transfer’s Weak Governance Costs Them), […]

Pipeline Companies Trim New Projects

Coming into 2020 the pipeline sector was in good shape. Spending on growth projects peaked in 2018, and lower growth capex combined with rising cashflow from existing assets were set to drive Free Cash Flow (FCF) higher. Across the companies that are in the American Energy Independence Index it was on course to more than […]

Natural Gas Demand Still Stable

Crude oil drew the headlines this week. Trump’s Wednesday tweet forecasting a 10 Million Barrel per Day (MMB/D) agreed supply reduction (“Could be as high as 15 Million Barrels”) caught markets off guard. The demand collapse is astonishing. The world was consuming around 100 MMB/D of crude oil and liquids before the coronavirus. Estimates are […]

Navigating the Collapsing Oil Market

To the list of previously inconceivable events, add Texas oil drillers asking for their regulator to impose production curbs. Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) and Parsley Energy (PE) filed a request with the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) to hold a hearing on the state’s oil and gas production. It’s over 40 years since they last considered […]

The Disappearing MLP Buyer

Approximately 80% of our investments in midstream energy infrastructure are corporations – we invest in MLPs selectively. There’s a big difference between investing in pipeline corporations with their wide investor base, and MLPs whose pool of natural buyers is withering. That’s why eight of the ten biggest names in the American Energy Independence Index (AEITR) […]

Update From Williams Companies

Yesterday Williams Companies (WMB) provided an investor update on their business. WMB isn’t directly involved in crude oil, and they’re best known for owning Transco, a natural gas pipeline network running down the eastern U.S. So far, natural gas demand is un-impacted, and slightly above historical norms. WMB provided some information on their overall sensitivity […]

Markets Glimpse Light

As our response to Coronavirus shifts from purely medical to political, markets have seen a glimmer of light. So far, decisions have been made, whether right or wrong, based on advice from epidemiologists. But as the economic cost has exploded, it’s provoked the obvious question: if the most vulnerable cohorts are identifiable, and the vast […]

Recapping Another Memorable Week for Energy

None of us will forget the past couple of weeks. Investors and money managers are grappling with collapsing markets, working remotely and the challenges of ever stricter controls on our movement. Below we’ll highlight some information that investors may have missed, combined with what we’ve learned from multiple conversations. Pipeline companies that said anything publicly […]

The Virus Infecting MLPs

Closed end fund investors are passionate about the product. Because they generally own a portfolio of publicly traded securities, their NAV per share is easily calculated. The fixed share count means their share price can deviate from the NAV, and this attracts investors keen to buy something for less than it’s worth. MLP closed end […]

Enbridge Fireside Chat

Earlier today Enbridge (ENB) CEO Al Monaco held a “virtual fireside chat” with an analyst from RBC. ENB, like the other Canadians, is run more conservatively than many U.S. businesses. We’ve often noted that a bit more Canadian management would be beneficial in the U.S. energy sector. The slides below are from the ENB presentation […]

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