Gas pipelines, fed by MLP performance, outperform broader markets in 2010

摘要

Gas pipeline company stocks finished strong in the fourth quarter, wrapping up a year in which they easily outperformed the broader markets. And while stocks of those pipeline companies set up as master limited partnerships cooled off slightly in the closing months of 2010, their full-year performance - up roughly 23% in the stock market and 30% counting their cash distributions - carried the load throughout the year. A Platts analysis of 16 companies with large pipeline holdings showed stock prices up 8.22% in the latest quarter, a significant improvement over the previous quarter's modest 3.48% gain. The October-through-December performance helped the group turn in a 14.51% gain for the full calendar year.