Investing

Merrill Lynch Has 4 Stocks Rated Buy With Yields of 8% and More

Lee Jackson

Published: February 10, 2017 8:25 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 2:58 pm

Despite the constant threat of interest rate hikes, yields continue to hover at the same levels they were at right after the election. People continue to buy the Treasury market for numerous reasons, not the least of which is they are concerned about the potential near-term volatility and looking for the proverbial safe place to hide. This kind of concern can lead to great bargains for income investors with higher risk tolerance.

With many investors looking for income-producing stocks, we decided to look at the Merrill Lynch research universe for stocks, including master limited partnerships (MLPs), that yield 8% or better and are rated Buy. We found four that are doing extremely well and make sense for total return accounts to consider.

CenturyLink

This is the largest of the rural local exchange carriers and is expected to continue get a large dose of government money to provide continuing internet service in rural areas. CenturyLink Inc. (NYSE: CTL) is a global communications, hosting, cloud and IT services company enabling millions of customers to transform their businesses through innovative technology solutions.

CenturyLink offers network and data systems management, Big Data analytics and IT consulting, and it operates more than 55 data centers in North America, Europe and Asia. The company provides broadband, voice, video, data and managed services over a robust 250,000-route-mile U.S. fiber network and a 300,000-route-mile international transport network.

The company announced last month plans to sell its data centers and colocation business to a consortium led by BC Partners for $2.3 billion, which it will use in part to fund its planned tie-up with Level 3 Communications. Under the terms of the agreement, CenturyLink also will receive a $150 million minority stake in the consortium’s new global secure infrastructure company. With the deal almost complete and the arbitrage accounts starting to move on, now may be a good time to buy shares.

CenturyLink investors receive a gigantic 8.85 % dividend. Merrill Lynch has a stunning $42 price target, while the Wall Street consensus price objective is $28.08. The stock closed trading on Thursday at $24.42.

CrossAmerica Partners

This top MLP just recently declared its 14th consecutive quarterly distribution increase. CrossAmerica Partners L.P. (NYSE: CAPL) is primarily involved in the wholesale distribution of motor fuel, owner and lessor of real estate and retail distribution of motor fuels. The company distributes motor fuel to 1,100 locations and owns or leases more than 625 sites primarily in the Northeast.

In August 2016, Alimentation Couche-Tard announced acquisition of CrossAmerica’s general partner, CST Brands. The transaction is expected to close very soon and could prove to be a large catalyst for the shares.

Investors in CrossAmerica Partners are paid a strong 9.23% distribution. Merrill Lynch has a $28 price target for the stock, which is nearly in line with the posted consensus target of $28.89. The stock closed most recently at $26.54 a share.

Golar LNG Partners

This is a liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipping and storage play that holds a big distribution for shareholders. Golar LNG Partners L.P. (NASDAQ: GMLP) owns and operates floating storage regasification units (FSRUs) and LNG carriers under long-term charters in Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Kuwait. The company also engages in the leasing of its fleets.

The Marshall Islands based company has a fleet of six FSRUs and five LNG carriers, a combined average remaining useful life of 25 years, and an average remaining charter duration of five-plus years. The company posted solid second-quarter results and also was successful in lowering leverage.

The company has a diverse pipeline that includes Golar’s FLNG projects and, as a result, some analysts on Wall Street feel the company has the largest growth potential versus its peer group with potential drop-downs/newbuilding inventories of 16 vessels.

Its shareholders are paid a massive 9.85% distribution. The Merrill Lynch price target for the stock is $25, and the consensus target is set at $23.56. The shares closed most recently at $23.44 apiece.

Summit Midstream

This company hit our insider buying screens a total of 15 times last year as savvy investors took advantage of the sector weakness. Summit Midstream Partners L.P. (NYSE: SMLP) focuses on owning, developing and operating midstream energy infrastructure assets, primarily shale formations, in North America.

The company provides natural gas gathering, treating and processing services pursuant to primarily long-term and fee-based gathering and processing agreements with customers and counterparties in five unconventional resource basins.

Since its initial public offering in 2012, the company has continued increasing its distribution as the result of a number of acquisitions and investments that grew its footprint across most of the major shale plays. The company recently guided 2017 in line with expectations and it should be another year of smooth growth and consistent distributions.

Summit Midstream investors are paid a 9.65% distribution. The $29 Merrill Lynch price target compares with the posted consensus target of $24.42. Shares closed trading on Thursday at $23.85.

With the positive prospects for oil in the case of the MLPs and the solid telecom deal closing for CenturyLink, these high-paying vehicles make good sense for accounts looking for income. While the risk level is higher, and the MLP distributions may contain return of capital, they all look like good investments now.