- Upstream MLPs likely will continue to face “an extremely challenging 2016" with low liquidity and high levels of debt, CIti analyst Faisel Khan says, expecting the group to exit Q1 with an average of ~80% drawn on their bank credit facilities.
- Khan downgrades Atlas Resource Partners (ARP -5.9%) to Sell from Neutral with a $0.25 price target, slashed from $3, saying ARP seems to be “running out of options to address leverage and liquidity concerns” and likely will be forced to file for Chapter 11 “either after the next round of borrowing base redetermination or post a potential breach of its debt covenants early next year."
- Cut to Neutral from Buy are EV Energy (EVEP-OLD -6.8%), which Faisel says has sufficient liquidity to survive the next round of borrowing base redetermination and has a strong sponsor that may come to its rescue but sees a potential breach of debt covenants next year, and Memorial Production Partners (MEMP -9%), which is drawn more than 70% on its credit facility and a potential borrowing base cut could "wipe out the entire liquidity."