Stifel Nicolaus Lowers Western Midstream Partners (NYSE:WES) Price Target to $42.00

Western Midstream Partners (NYSE:WES) had its price target cut by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $43.00 to $42.00 in a report issued on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the pipeline company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price indicates a potential upside of 2.20% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on WES. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Western Midstream Partners from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered Western Midstream Partners from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Western Midstream Partners from $40.00 to $39.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Western Midstream Partners has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.17.

Western Midstream Partners Stock Down 0.9%

Western Midstream Partners stock opened at $41.10 on Friday. Western Midstream Partners has a 52 week low of $33.60 and a 52 week high of $44.74. The stock has a market cap of $16.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.70 and a beta of 0.77. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $40.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97.

Western Midstream Partners (NYSE:WES) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.44). Western Midstream Partners had a net margin of 30.52% and a return on equity of 33.14%. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.85 EPS. Western Midstream Partners’s revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Western Midstream Partners will post 4.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Western Midstream Partners news, SVP Christopher B. Dial sold 5,879 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.35, for a total transaction of $248,975.65. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 185,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,835,215.85. This represents a 3.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Midstream Partners

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Alps Advisors Inc. grew its position in Western Midstream Partners by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 35,074,357 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $1,385,437,000 after purchasing an additional 299,631 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Western Midstream Partners by 0.3% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 24,292,437 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $954,450,000 after purchasing an additional 81,183 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Western Midstream Partners by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,562,213 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $377,707,000 after buying an additional 936,376 shares during the period. Tortoise Capital Advisors L.L.C. boosted its position in shares of Western Midstream Partners by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Capital Advisors L.L.C. now owns 8,539,175 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $337,297,000 after buying an additional 1,163,991 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Western Midstream Partners during the third quarter valued at $300,257,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.82% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Western Midstream Partners

Here are the key news stories impacting Western Midstream Partners this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company reported record EBITDA and highlighted operational strength (revenue up year-over-year), which supports underlying cash flow resilience and the distribution profile. Western Midstream Partners LP (WES) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Record EBITDA and …
• Positive Sentiment: Western Midstream has expressed takeover interest in Kinetik, a strategic move that could expand asset base and cash flows if a deal proceeds—this potential growth avenue is being viewed favorably by some investors. Kinetik stock rises after receiving takeover interest from Western Midstream
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 2025 earnings call transcript is available for investors who want line-by-line commentary from management (useful for assessing guidance, one-time items, and capital allocation plans). Western Midstream Partners, LP Common Units (WES) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s Q4 presentation is posted (slides/metrics may clarify drivers behind record EBITDA and why EPS missed), worth reviewing for capital spending, leverage, and distributable cash flow details. Western Midstream Partners, LP Common Units 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Reported EPS of $0.47 missed consensus (~$0.91) and revenue of $1.03B versus ~$1.06B, a shortfall that triggered a pre-market gap-down and selling pressure. These headline misses are the primary near-term negative catalyst. Western Midstream Partners (NYSE:WES) Shares Gap Down on Disappointing Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Stifel lowered its price target from $43 to $42 and moved to a “hold” rating, signaling tepid near-term analyst sentiment and limiting upside expectations. WES price target lowered at Stifel

Western Midstream Partners Company Profile

Western Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE: WES) is a midstream energy infrastructure company that owns, operates and develops an integrated network of crude oil, natural gas and produced water gathering, processing, transportation and storage assets in the United States. The partnership’s primary offerings include pipeline transportation, fractionation services, natural gas liquids (NGL) logistics and produced water handling. Through its fee-based and commodity-based contracts, Western Midstream provides its customers with essential services that support efficient energy production and distribution.

The company’s asset portfolio spans key onshore basins, including the Delaware Basin in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, the San Juan Basin in New Mexico and Colorado, and the Denver-Julesburg Basin in Colorado.