WMB

Midstream energy companies Kinder Morgan, MPLX, and Williams Companies are well-positioned to weather Middle East tensions and crude price volatility due to their stable, fee-based revenue models from long-term contracts. Unlike oil and gas producers, these midstream players have lower exposure to commodity price fluctuations.

Zacks analysts published research on 16 major stocks on September 29, 2026. Visa maintains strong market position in digital payments but faces margin pressure from rising client incentives.

Intuitive Surgical underperforms due to moderated U.S. procedure growth and China headwinds, though the platform remains solid. Williams Companies shows healthy momentum with raised guidance but carries high debt and valuation concerns. Additional coverage includes analysis of Friedman Industries, Jones Soda, Hershey, W.P. Carey, and other companies across various sectors.

Global X MLP & Energy Infrastructure ETF (MLPX) outperforms First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund (EMLP) with lower fees (0.45% vs 0.95%), higher dividend yield (4.2% vs 2.9%), and stronger 5-year returns ($2,318 vs $2,004 on $1,000 invested). MLPX offers pure energy infrastructure exposure while EMLP provides broader diversification with utilities allocation, making MLPX the better choice for most investors despite higher concentration risk.

The author explains why Energy Transfer (ET), a major U.S. midstream pipeline company, remains an attractive investment beyond its 6.6% dividend yield. Key reasons include its tax-efficient MLP structure, exposure to growing AI and data center natural gas demand, sustainable distribution policy, and attractive valuation at 12x forward earnings with expected 14% CAGR growth through 2028.

National Fuel Gas Company (NFG) completed its acquisition of CenterPoint Energy's Ohio natural gas utility business for $2.62 billion, adding approximately 335,000 customers and expanding its total customer base to 1.1 million. The deal is expected to double NFG's gas utility rate base to $3.2 billion and provide immediate accretion to regulated earnings per share, with consolidated accretion expected after fiscal 2028.

Energy Transfer (ET) is highlighted as an attractive investment due to three key factors: strong growth prospects from $5.9 billion in planned projects with 5-6x EBITDA returns, the cheapest valuation among pipeline MLPs at 8.3x forward EV/EBITDA, and a robust 6.7% dividend yield with 19 consecutive quarters of increases and a healthy 2.2x distribution coverage ratio.