- Wells Fargo cuts its rating on all upstream MLPs in its coverage to Underperform, the firm's equivalent to a Sell rating, and downgrades its sector rating to Underweight, citing the MLPs' high default risk and its belief that many "could have zero equity value" when their hedges expire over the next 1-2 years.
- The upstream MLP's could have "very high" debt-to-EBITDA ratios over the next 12-24 months, and all could default on their debt payments during that time frame, according to Wells analyst Praneeth Satish.
- Satish says Mid-Con Energy (MCEP -1.9%), Linn Energy (LINE -14.9%) and Atlas Resource Partners (ARP -2.6%) have the greatest risk of default in the near-term, while Breitburn Energy (BBEP +2.4%), EV Energy (EVEP-OLD -6.9%), Legacy Reserves (LGCY -7.9%), Memorial Production Partners (MEMP -6.4%), LINE and MCEP have the greatest risk of default in the medium term.
- The analyst cuts his rating on all the above companies, plus LinnCo (LNCO -10.7%), to Underperform from Market Perform.