Genesis Energy (NYSE:GEL) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

Genesis Energy, L.P. (NYSE:GEL) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 869,023 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 213% from the previous session’s volume of 277,849 shares.The stock last traded at $14.6060 and had previously closed at $15.13.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on GEL shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Genesis Energy from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Genesis Energy from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $19.00.

Genesis Energy Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 25.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -74.39 and a beta of 0.63.

Genesis Energy (NYSE:GEL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The pipeline company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by ($0.22). Genesis Energy had a net margin of 2.11% and a return on equity of 23.65%. The firm had revenue of $446.56 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $446.56 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($4.06) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Genesis Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were paid a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. Genesis Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently -378.95%.

Insider Activity at Genesis Energy

In other news, SVP Garland G. Gaspard acquired 12,340 shares of Genesis Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.34 per share, with a total value of $201,635.60. Following the purchase, the senior vice president owned 36,881 shares in the company, valued at $602,635.54. This trade represents a 50.28% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Genesis Energy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in shares of Genesis Energy by 31.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,814,140 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $28,301,000 after purchasing an additional 432,771 shares during the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Genesis Energy by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 24,909,448 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $388,587,000 after acquiring an additional 890,193 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in Genesis Energy by 15.4% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 435,892 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $7,284,000 after acquiring an additional 58,126 shares in the last quarter. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc bought a new position in Genesis Energy during the fourth quarter worth $3,120,000. Finally, ING Groep NV boosted its stake in Genesis Energy by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 2,500,800 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $39,012,000 after acquiring an additional 125,000 shares in the last quarter. 66.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Genesis Energy Company Profile

Genesis Energy LP (NYSE: GEL) is a publicly traded master limited partnership headquartered in Houston, Texas, that owns and operates a diversified portfolio of energy infrastructure assets in the United States. The company’s primary focus is on the transportation, storage and delivery of refined petroleum products, serving major domestic markets across the Gulf Coast, Atlantic Seaboard and inland waterway systems.

Genesis Energy’s operations are organized into several key business segments.