Investing in pipeline stocks is a unique opportunity to buy into the profitability of the oil and gas sector. But public opposition to pipeline infrastructure has the potential to interrupt projects and halt construction efforts.
What are pipelines?
Pipelines are the physical structures responsible for transporting natural gas, crude oil, natural gas liquids, petroleum and petrochemicals from production centers to refineries, docks, terminals, power plants and consumers. They are a core component of the oil and gas industry and without their infrastructure, the system would grind to a halt. Pipelines can be divided into four subcategories:
Gathering. These lines gather products from wells and transport them to processing plants.
Feeder. These lines transport oil, gas and liquids from storage tanks and processing plants to transmission pipelines.
Transmission. These large pipelines can span more than three feet wide and are responsible for carrying oil, gas and natural gas liquids across state lines and country borders for processing or storage.
Distribution. These pipelines are responsible for distributing natural gas to homes and businesses.
Pipeline stocks are stocks from companies that build, operate or maintain energy pipelines. Generally, there are two types of companies in this space: pipeline corporations and master limited partnerships (MLPs). Both are viable investment opportunities.
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There are many stock options for investors ready to buy into the pipeline category.
See how the following stocks are performing, and view details like market capitalization, the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, price/earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio and dividend yield.
Company summary
CNX Midstream Partners LP owns, operates, develops, and acquires natural gas gathering and other midstream energy assets in the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The company operates through two segments, Anchor Systems and Additional Systems. As of December 31, 2019, the company operated 18 compression and dehydration facilities. It also operates condensate handling facilities with handling capacities of 2,500 barrels per day in Majorsville, Shirley, and West Virginia that provide condensate gathering, collection, separation, and stabilization services. CNX Midstream GP LLC serves as a general partner of the company. The company was formerly known as CONE Midstream Partners LP and changed its name to CNX Midstream Partners LP in January 2018. CNX Midstream Partners LP was founded in 2014 and is based in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. CNX Midstream Partners LP operates as subsidiary of CNX Gas Company LLC.
Enbridge Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy infrastructure company. The company operates through five segments: Liquids Pipelines, Gas Transmission and Midstream, Gas Distribution and Storage, Renewable Power Generation, and Energy Services. The Liquids Pipelines segment operates pipelines and related terminals to transport various grades of crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons in Canada and the United States. The Gas Transmission and Midstream segment invests in natural gas pipelines and gathering and processing facilities in Canada and the United States. The Gas Distribution and Storage segment is involved in natural gas utility operations serving residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Ontario, as well as natural gas distribution activities in Quebec. The Renewable Power Generation segment operates power generating assets, such as wind, solar, geothermal, waste heat recovery, and transmission assets in North America. The Energy Services segment provides physical commodity marketing and logistical services to refiners, producers, and other customers in Canada and the United States. The company was formerly known as IPL Energy Inc. and changed its name to Enbridge Inc. in October 1998. Enbridge Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
Energy Transfer LP provides energy-related services. The company owns and operates natural gas transportation pipeline, and natural gas storage facilities in Texas and Oklahoma; and approximately 20,090 miles of interstate natural gas pipeline. It also sells natural gas to electric utilities, independent power plants, local distribution and other marketing companies, and industrial end-users. In addition, the company owns and operates natural gas gathering pipelines, processing plant, and treating and conditioning facilities in Texas, New Mexico, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Louisiana; natural gas gathering, oil pipeline, and oil stabilization facilities in South Texas; and transports and supplies water to natural gas producer in Pennsylvania. Further, it owns 5,700 miles of natural gas liquid (NGL) pipeline; NGL fractionation facilities; NGL storage facilities; and other NGL storage assets and terminal. Additionally, the company provides crude oil transportation, terminalling, acquisition, and marketing activities; owns and operates approximately 14,500 miles of crude oil trunk and gathering pipelines in the Southwest, Midcontinent, and Midwest United States; and sells and distributes gasoline, middle distillate, and motor fuels and other petroleum products. It also offers natural gas compression services; carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide removal services; and manages coal and natural resources properties, as well as sells standing timber, leases coal-related infrastructure facilities, collects oil and gas royalty, and generate electrical power. The company was formerly known as Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. and changed its name to Energy Transfer LP in October 2018. Energy Transfer LP was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
Enterprise Products Partners L.P. provides midstream energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), crude oil, petrochemicals, and refined products. It operates in four segments: NGL Pipelines & Services, Crude Oil Pipelines & Services, Natural Gas Pipelines & Services, and Petrochemical & Refined Products Services. The NGL Pipelines & Services segment offers natural gas processing and related NGL marketing services. It operates natural gas processing facilities located in Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming; NGL pipelines; NGL fractionation facilities; NGL and related product storage facilities; and NGL marine terminals. The Crude Oil Pipelines & Services segment operates crude oil pipelines; and crude oil storage and marine terminals, which include a fleet of approximately 250 tractor-trailer tank trucks that are used to transport crude oil. It also engages in crude oil marketing activities. The Natural Gas Pipelines & Services segment operates natural gas pipeline systems to gather, treat, and transport natural gas. It leases underground salt dome natural gas storage facilities in Napoleonville, Louisiana; owns an underground salt dome storage cavern in Wharton County, Texas; and markets natural gas. The Petrochemical & Refined Products Services segment operates propylene fractionation facilities, including propylene fractionation units and propane dehydrogenation facilities, and related marketing activities; butane isomerization complex and related deisobutanizer operations; and octane enhancement, isobutane dehydrogenation, and high purity isobutylene production facilities. It also operates refined products pipelines and terminals; and ethylene export terminals; and provides refined products marketing and marine transportation services. Enterprise Products Partners L.P. was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Holly Energy Partners, L.P. provides petroleum product and crude oil transportation, terminalling, storage, and throughput services to the petroleum industry in the United States. It operates through two segments, Pipelines and Terminals; and Refinery Processing Unit. The company operates refined product pipelines that transport conventional gasolines, reformulated gasolines, and low-octane gasolines for oxygenate blending, as well as sulfur diesel and jet fuels, and liquefied petroleum gases; intermediate product pipelines that transport intermediate feedstocks and crude oils; and oil trunk, gathering, and connection pipelines that delivers crude oil. Holly Energy Partners, L.P. was incorporated in 2004 and is based in Dallas, Texas. As of December 1, 2023, Holly Energy Partners, L.P. operates as a subsidiary of HF Sinclair Corporation.
Kinder Morgan, Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company primarily in North America. The company operates through Natural Gas Pipelines, Products Pipelines, Terminals, and CO2 segments. The Natural Gas Pipelines segment owns and operates interstate and intrastate natural gas pipeline, and storage systems; natural gas gathering systems and natural gas processing and treating facilities; natural gas liquids fractionation facilities and transportation systems; and liquefied natural gas gasification, liquefaction, and storage facilities. The Products Pipelines segment owns and operates refined petroleum products, and crude oil and condensate pipelines; and associated product terminals and petroleum pipeline transmix facilities. The Terminals segment owns and/or operates liquids and bulk terminals that stores and handles various commodities, including gasoline, diesel fuel, renewable fuel and feedstocks, chemicals, ethanol, metals, and petroleum coke; and owns tankers. The CO2 segment produces, transports, and markets CO2 to recovery and production crude oil from mature oil fields; owns interests in/or operates oil fields and gasoline processing plants; and operates a crude oil pipeline system in West Texas, as well as owns and operates RNG and LNG facilities. It owns and operates approximately 82,000 miles of pipelines and 139 terminals. The company was formerly known as Kinder Morgan Holdco LLC and changed its name to Kinder Morgan, Inc. in February 2011. Kinder Morgan, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
ONEOK, Inc. engages in gathering, processing, fractionation, storage, transportation, and marketing of natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) in the United States. It operates through four segments: Natural Gas Gathering and Processing, Natural Gas Liquids, Natural Gas Pipelines, and Refined Products and Crude. The company owns natural gas gathering pipelines and processing plants in the Mid-Continent and Rocky Mountain regions; and provides midstream services to producers of NGLs. It also owns NGL gathering and distribution pipelines in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado; terminal and storage facilities in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois; NGL distribution pipelines in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana; transports refined petroleum products, including unleaded gasoline and diesel; and owns and operates truck- and rail-loading, and -unloading facilities connected to NGL fractionation, storage, and pipeline assets. In addition, the company transports and stores natural gas through regulated interstate and intrastate natural gas transmission pipelines, and natural gas storage facilities. Further, it owns and operates a parking garage in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma; and leases excess office space and rail cars. Additionally, the company transports, stores, and distributes refined products, NGLs, and crude oil, as well as conducts commodity-related activities, including liquids blending and marketing activities. It serves integrated and independent exploration and production companies; other NGL and natural gas gathering and processing companies; crude oil and natural gas production companies; utilities; industrial companies; natural gasoline distributors; propane distributors; municipalities; ethanol producers; petrochemical, refining, and marketing companies; and heating fuel users, refineries, and exporters. ONEOK, Inc. was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
TC PipeLines, LP acquires, owns, and participates in the management of energy infrastructure businesses in North America. The company has interests in eight natural gas interstate pipeline systems that transport approximately 10.9 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas from producing regions and import facilities to market hubs and consuming markets primarily in the Western, Midwestern, and Eastern United States. It serves large utilities, local distribution companies, natural gas marketers, producing companies, and other interstate pipelines, including affiliates. TC PipeLines GP, Inc. operates as a general partner of the company. TC PipeLines, LP was founded in 1998 and is based in Houston, Texas.
Historical performance
Stock information
Market capitalization: $2211565312
P/E ratio: 7.7481
PEG ratio: 3.05
Dividend yield: 0.0875%
Company summary
The Williams Companies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy infrastructure company primarily in the United States. It operates through Transmission & Gulf of Mexico, Northeast G&P, West, and Gas & NGL Marketing Services segments. The Transmission & Gulf of Mexico segment comprises natural gas pipelines; Transco, Northwest pipeline, MountainWest, and related natural gas storage facilities; and natural gas gathering and processing, and crude oil production handling and transportation assets in the Gulf Coast region. The Northeast G&P segment engages in the midstream gathering, processing, and fractionation activities in the Marcellus Shale region primarily in Pennsylvania and New York, and the Utica Shale region of eastern Ohio. The West segment consists of gas gathering, processing, and treating operations in the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado and Wyoming, the Barnett Shale region of north-central Texas, the Eagle Ford Shale region of South Texas, the Haynesville Shale region of northwest Louisiana, the Mid-Continent region that includes the Anadarko and Permian basins, and the DJ Basin of Colorado; and operates natural gas liquid (NGL) fractionation and storage facilities in central Kansas near Conway. The Gas & NGL Marketing Services segment provides wholesale marketing, trading, storage, and transportation of natural gas for natural gas utilities, municipalities, power generators, and producers; asset management services; and transports and markets NGLs. The company owns and operates 33,000 miles of pipelines. The Williams Companies, Inc. was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Exchange-traded funds that include pipeline companies typically track multicap energy master limited partnerships (MLPs).
Alerian MLP ETF (AMLP)
Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE)
ETRACS Alerian MLP Infrastructure Index ETN (MLPB)
Global X MLP & Energy Infrastructure ETF (MLPX)
iShares Global Energy ETF (IXC)
UBS E-TRACS Alerian MLP Infrastructure ETN (MLPI)
Why invest in pipelines?
The US is home to the largest pipeline network in the world. And that network is poised for growth. From 2019 to 2025, US oil production is projected to grow by 46%. And this growth will require more pipeline infrastructure. While it’s true that we’ve begun to experience a global shift towards green energy, we’re far from eliminating our reliance on gas and oil. Plus, many pipeline companies pay dividends, making pipeline stocks a practical portfolio addition for buy and hold investors.
Risks of investing in pipeline stocks
The profitability of pipeline companies depends on the price of oil and gas. And oil and gas prices can be unstable. Pipeline companies get paid based on the amount of gas and oil they move. When the price of these commodities falls, drilling companies cut back their activity, well output declines and less oil and gas flows through pipeline infrastructures. Another risk for investors to consider before buying into pipeline stocks is the rising opposition to new infrastructure. Investors should be aware of the environmental risk it poses. Namely, pipeline leaks have the potential to contaminate water supplies. Pipeline protests can sideline construction efforts and delay projects, effectively reducing productivity and decreasing profits for companies and shareholders alike.
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Bottom line
Investors seeking a dividend-paying, long-term investment may find value in pipeline stocks. But profits in this category depend on the price of oil and gas and may be impacted by public opposition. Before you invest, find the right brokerage account that fits your investment goals.
Frequently asked questions
Pipeline companies make money by charging a fee for the oil or gas they transport. Fees are usually set by the barrel or unit. Pipeline companies often set up contracts — typically between five to 20 years — with their customers to help stabilize cash flow.
Enbridge (ENB) is North America’s largest pipeline company by enterprise value, currently valued at $128.84 billion.
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Shannon Terrell is a lead writer and spokesperson at NerdWallet and a former editor at Finder, specializing in personal finance. Her writing and analysis on investing and banking has been featured in Bloomberg, Global News, Yahoo Finance, GoBankingRates and Black Enterprise. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and English literature from the University of Toronto Mississauga. See full bio
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