Can Energy Transfer Partners Grow Its Distribution?

In the world of master limited partnerships, distributions are king -- and Energy Transfer Partners distributes one of the highest yields in the natural gas pipeline space. However, the company hasn't increased its distribution since 2008, worrying investors about the strength of ETP's underlying business. In this video, energy editor Joel South explains the reason ETP has stunted its distributions and gives the reasons he believes the company will start to slowly increase its payout soon. In addition to the payout time table, Joel discusses MLP payout rations and what investors need to know to accurately gauge a company's financial strength.

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The article Can Energy Transfer Partners Grow Its Distribution? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Joel South has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool has options on Chesapeake Energy. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Enterprise Products Partners. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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