Principal Securities Inc. Has $26,000 Stake in Sunoco LP (NYSE:SUN)

Principal Securities Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Sunoco LP (NYSE:SUN) by 27.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 504 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 194 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Sunoco were worth $26,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new position in shares of Sunoco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in Sunoco during the fourth quarter worth $129,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Sunoco during the third quarter valued at $165,000. World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sunoco by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,800 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sunoco in the 4th quarter worth about $204,000. Institutional investors own 24.29% of the company’s stock.

Sunoco Price Performance

Shares of SUN stock opened at $58.76 on Friday. Sunoco LP has a 1 year low of $49.45 and a 1 year high of $64.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $54.97 and its 200-day moving average is $53.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.90 and a beta of 1.36.

Sunoco (NYSE:SUN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The oil and gas company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.73). Sunoco had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 3.85%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Sunoco LP will post 10.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sunoco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $0.8865 dividend. This represents a $3.55 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.03%. This is a positive change from Sunoco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Sunoco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on SUN. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Sunoco from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Sunoco from $61.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Sunoco from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sunoco presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.83.

Sunoco Profile

Sunoco LP, together with its subsidiaries, distributes and retails motor fuels in the United States. It operates through two segments: Fuel Distribution and Marketing, and All Other. The Fuel Distribution and Marketing segment purchases motor fuel, as well as other petroleum products, such as propane and lubricating oil from independent refiners and oil companies and supplies it to company-operated retail stores, independently operated commission agents, and retail stores, as well as other commercial customers, including unbranded retail stores, other fuel distributors, school districts, municipalities, and other industrial customers.