PAGP
Plains GPBDocument history
Earnings documents stored for PAGP.
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-09Plains GP Holdings, L.P. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Summary
Moby
Plains GP Holdings, L.P. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Summary
Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. Management increased 2026 EBITDA guidance by $130 million, citing a constructive oil macro environment driven by global destocking and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The NGL segment outperformed expectations by $45 million in Q1 due to higher straddle production from increased border flows and improving frac spreads in March. Crude oil segment performance was impacted by temporary headwinds, including winter weather in the Permian, system maintenance, and the timing of minimum volume commitments. Strategic positioning as a pure-play crude midstream company is intended to capture value as North America becomes a critical source for global energy security. The acquisition of Cactus III last year is providing timely tax mitigation for unitholders regarding the NGL divestiture, eliminating the need for a previously anticipated special distribution. Operational growth is currently paced by three core initiatives: the NGL asset sale, Cactus III synergy capture, and organizational streamlining. Guidance assumes Permian crude production remains relatively flat for 2026, with potential upside in 2027 as natural gas takeaway constraints are resolved later this year. Management expects a 'restocking phenomenon' longer term as countries replenish strategic petroleum reserves, potentially above prewar levels, supporting sustained demand. The NGL divestiture is expected to close in May 2026 with net proceeds of approximately $3.3 billion, roughly $100 million higher than prior estimates. Leverage is projected to migrate toward the low end of the 3.25x to 3.75x target range by year-end 2026 following debt repayment from sale proceeds. Future capital allocation will prioritize distribution growth, organic investments, and potential preferred unit repurchases once leverage targets are secured. The Competition Bureau is challenging the pending transaction with Keyera, though management stated this does not legally prevent the parties from closing this month. Current and deferred taxes appeared elevated this quarter due to restructuring activities associated with the NGL sale, though there was no cash tax impact in Q1. Permian production faces a near-term 'throttle' due to natural gas takeaway limits and flaring restrict...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-08Plains GP: Q1 Earnings Snapshot
Associated Press
Plains GP: Q1 Earnings Snapshot
HOUSTON (AP) — HOUSTON (AP) — Plains GP Holdings LP (PAGP) on Friday reported earnings of $20 million in its first quarter. On a per-share basis, the Houston-based company said it had net income of 10 cents. Earnings, adjusted to account for discontinued operations, were 24 cents per share. The oil and gas holding company posted revenue of $12.47 billion in the period. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on PAGP at https://www.zacks.com/ap/PAGP
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-08Plains GP (PAGP) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
Motley Fool
Plains GP (PAGP) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
Image source: The Motley Fool. Friday, May 8, 2026 at 10 a.m. ET Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer — Willie Chiang Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer — Al Swanson Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer — Jeremy L. Goebel Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer — Christopher R. Chandler Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications — Blake Michael Fernandez Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Willie Chiang: Thank you, Blake. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us. This morning, we reported first quarter adjusted EBITDA attributable to Plains GP Holdings, L.P. of $730 million. Al will cover the details on our results in his portion of the call. Let me start with the macro environment, which has changed significantly since our last call. Recent geopolitical events have reiterated the importance of reliable, secure, and responsibly produced energy. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has significantly disrupted global shipping channels and Middle East supply, contributing to stronger commodity prices over the past couple of months. In response, excess floating storage has been drawn down, and strategic petroleum reserves are being released globally. While this helps balance the market deficit on a short-term basis, we are seeing a more constructive oil market developing on a longer-term basis. We expect this destocking environment to continue over the next number of months and ultimately drive a restocking phenomenon longer term as countries replenish depleted strategic petroleum reserves globally. Postwar, we would not be surprised to see several countries restock their SPRs above prewar levels, essentially creating an additional layer of demand into the future, which should support prices and incent producer activity. On the supply side, OPEC production capacity postwar remains uncertain, but we suspect spare capacity will be tighter based on a slower recovery of shut-in production and infrastructure damage during the war. We believe the conflict shifts the focus towards more geopolitically stable regions to ensure security of supply. Against this backdrop, North America, including the Permian, remains well positioned to play a critical role in meeting global demand. As this occurs, the value of existing infrastructure in the ground should continue...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-08Plains All American Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results & Raises 2026 Guidance
GlobeNewswire
Plains All American Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results & Raises 2026 Guidance
HOUSTON, May 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (Nasdaq: PAA) and Plains GP Holdings (Nasdaq: PAGP) today reported first-quarter 2026 results and raised full-year 2026 Adjusted EBITDA Guidance. First-Quarter 2026 Results First-quarter Net income attributable to PAA of $152 million and Net cash provided by operating activities of $418 million Delivered first-quarter Adjusted EBITDA attributable to PAA of $730 million Pro forma leverage ratio of 4.1x at quarter-end; expect to return toward the midpoint of the target range of 3.25 to 3.75x following closing of the NGL divestiture and migrating toward lower-end of the range by year-end Paid a quarterly cash distribution of $0.4175 per unit ($1.67 per unit annualized), representing a current distribution yield of ~7.5% 2026 Updated Outlook Increasing midpoint of full-year 2026 Adjusted EBITDA guidance attributable to PAA by $130 million to $2.880 billion +/- $75 million (reflecting a strong oil macro environment and NGL contribution into May 2026) Growth capital remains $350 million with maintenance capital increasing to $185 million, reflecting ownership of NGL assets into May 2026 Full-year 2026 Adjusted Free Cash Flow guidance increased to approximately $1.850 billion (excluding changes in Assets & Liabilities and anticipated cash proceeds from the NGL divestiture) “Global events this year illustrate the importance of reliable, secure and responsibly produced energy and have accelerated the timing of our view for a more constructive crude oil market. Our integrated business model and asset base connecting U.S. crude production to the global markets are critical to meeting global energy demand. As a result, we are increasing the midpoint of our 2026 Adjusted EBITDA guidance by $130 million to reflect a constructive oil macro environment and extended ownership of our Canadian NGL business into May. The closing of the NGL divestiture will mark a transition to a premier pure play crude oil midstream provider. We remain focused on executing key initiatives in 2026, including closing the pending NGL sale and realizing $100 million of contribution between Cactus III synergies and capturing efficiencies across our system. The combination of these internal initiatives coupled with a healthy oil macro backdrop positions Plains with momentum into 2027 and beyond. Finally, we remain committed...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-04-07Plains All American Pipeline and Plains GP Holdings Announce Quarterly Distributions and Timing of First Quarter 2026 Earnings
GlobeNewswire
Plains All American Pipeline and Plains GP Holdings Announce Quarterly Distributions and Timing of First Quarter 2026 Earnings
HOUSTON, April 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (Nasdaq: PAA) and Plains GP Holdings (Nasdaq: PAGP) announced today their quarterly distributions with respect to the first quarter of 2026 and also announced timing of first quarter 2026 earnings. First Quarter Distribution Declaration PAA and PAGP announced the following quarterly cash distributions, each of which will be payable on May 15, 2026, to holders of the respective securities at the close of business on May 1, 2026: PAA Common Units – $0.4175 per Common Unit ($1.67 per unit on an annualized basis), which is unchanged from the distribution paid in February 2026. PAGP Class A Shares – $0.4175 per Class A Share ($1.67 per Class A Share on an annualized basis), which is unchanged from the distribution paid in February 2026. PAA Series A Preferred Units – $0.61524 per Series A Preferred Unit (approximately $2.46 per unit on an annualized basis). For its Series B Preferred Units, PAA announced a quarterly distribution of $19.84 per Series B Unit (based on the applicable quarterly floating rate), which will be payable on May 15, 2026, to holders of record at the close of business on May 1, 2026. Although equity holders should consult their own tax advisor regarding their particular circumstances, due to the pending NGL assets sale, it is possible that PAGP will report positive current earnings and profits for the Tax Year 2026, making part of its Class A Share cash distribution taxable as a dividend. The transaction is not estimated to result in a material change in the previous forecast regarding when routine PAGP distributions will shift from being a return of capital to being taxed as dividends or when PAGP will become a taxpaying entity. After the transaction closes, and upon payment of quarterly distributions throughout 2026, Plains will publish Form 8937, Report of Organizational Actions Affecting Basis of Securities to clarify the expected portion of the quarterly distribution that will be taxed as a dividend. In addition, to the extent any cash distribution exceeds a Class A Shareholder’s tax basis, it should be taxable as a capital gain. Qualified Notices under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446 with respect to the PAA Common Unit distribution and PAA Series B Preferred Unit distribution will be posted on the Plains website under “Investor Relations – Unit Informatio...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-02-07Plains GP Holdings LP (PAGP) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong EBITDA Performance and ...
GuruFocus.com
Plains GP Holdings LP (PAGP) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong EBITDA Performance and ...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Adjusted EBITDA (Q4 2025): $738 million. Adjusted EBITDA (Full-Year 2025): $2.833 billion. Crude Oil Segment Adjusted EBITDA (Q4 2025): $611 million. NGL Segment Adjusted EBITDA (Q4 2025): $122 million. 2026 Adjusted EBITDA Guidance: $2.75 billion at midpoint, plus or minus $75 million. Oil Segment EBITDA Guidance (2026): $2.64 billion, implying 13% growth year-over-year. Distribution Increase: 10% increase in quarterly distribution, annualized to $1.67 per unit. Targeted Annualized Distribution Growth: $0.15 per unit. Growth Capital Investment (2026): Approximately $350 million. Maintenance Capital (2026): Approximately $165 million. Adjusted Free Cash Flow (2026): Approximately $1.8 billion, excluding changes in assets and liabilities. Senior Unsecured Notes Issued: $750 million, with $300 million due in 2031 at 4.7% and $450 million due in 2036 at 5.6%. Leverage Ratio Target: 3.25 to 3.75 times. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 8 Warning Signs with PAGP. Is PAGP fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: February 06, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Plains GP Holdings LP (NASDAQ:PAGP) reported a strong adjusted EBITDA of $738 million for the fourth quarter and $2.833 billion for the full year 2025. The company is transitioning to a pure-play crude company, enhancing cash flow quality and durability through strategic divestitures and acquisitions. PAGP is targeting $100 million in annual savings through efficiency initiatives, with 50% expected to be realized in 2026. The acquisition of the WildHorse terminal adds 4 million barrels of storage capacity, expected to generate returns above internal thresholds. PAGP announced a 10% increase in quarterly distribution, reflecting confidence in future cash flow and distribution growth. The market environment in 2025 was challenging due to geopolitical unrest, OPEC actions, and economic uncertainties from tariffs. The NGL segment's adjusted EBITDA was impacted by warm weather and weak frac spreads, reflecting seasonal volatility. PAGP's Permian crude production is expected to remain flat in 2026, with growth anticipated to resume only in 2027. The company is reducing its distribution coverage ratio threshold from 160% to 150%, indicating a more conservative approach. Th...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-02-06Plains All American Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
GlobeNewswire
Plains All American Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
HOUSTON, Feb. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (Nasdaq: PAA) and Plains GP Holdings (Nasdaq: PAGP) today reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results, announced 2026 guidance and provided the following highlights: Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results Fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 Net income attributable to PAA of $342 million and $1.435 billion, respectively, and 2025 Net cash provided by operating activities of $785 million and $2.94 billion, respectively Delivered fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 Adjusted EBITDA attributable to PAA of $738 million and $2.833 billion, respectively Pro forma leverage ratio of 3.9x at year-end 2025; expect to return toward the midpoint of the target range of 3.25 to 3.75x following anticipated closing of the NGL divestiture toward the end of the first quarter 2026 In November, Plains successfully raised $750 million in aggregate senior unsecured notes with proceeds allocated toward the reduction of commercial paper and funding the EPIC acquisition (now Cactus III) In November, Plains also paid off a $1.1 billion EPIC term loan assumed as part of the EPIC acquisition by issuing a $1.1 billion senior unsecured term loan at PAA 2026 Outlook and Key Highlights Expect full-year 2026 Adjusted EBITDA attributable to PAA midpoint of $2.75 billion +/- $75 million (assumes one quarter of NGL contribution of $100 million) Capture efficiency initiatives of approximately $100 million of cost savings through 2027 (with approximately half realized in 2026); coupled with $50 million of synergies expected on Cactus III, these initiatives create self-help growth opportunities despite expectation of a relatively flat Permian production profile for 2026 Announced annualized distribution increase of $0.15 per unit payable February 13, 2026, representing a 10% aggregate increase in the annualized distribution rate versus 2025 levels (new annualized distribution rate of $1.67 per unit) Distribution Coverage ratio threshold lowered from 160% to 150% reflecting more predictable cash flow and providing multi-year runway for targeted annual distribution growth of $0.15 per unit Expect strong Adjusted Free Cash flow generation of approximately $1.80 billion (excluding changes in Assets & Liabilities and anticipated cash proceeds from the NGL divestiture) Remain focused on disciplined capital investments, an...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-02-06Plains GP: Q4 Earnings Snapshot
Associated Press Finance
Plains GP: Q4 Earnings Snapshot
HOUSTON (AP) — HOUSTON (AP) — Plains GP Holdings LP (PAGP) on Friday reported profit of $62 million in its fourth quarter. On a per-share basis, the Houston-based company said it had net income of 31 cents. Earnings, adjusted to account for discontinued operations, were 17 cents per share. The oil and gas holding company posted revenue of $10.57 billion in the period. For the year, the company reported profit of $260 million, or $1.30 per share. Revenue was reported as $44.26 billion. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on PAGP at https://www.zacks.com/ap/PAGP
TranscriptFY2025 Q42026-02-06FY2025 Q4 earnings call transcript
Earnings source - 65 paragraphs
FY2025 Q4 earnings call transcript
Good day, and thank you for standing by. Welcome to the PAA and PAGP fourth quarter 2025 earnings call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. After the speakers' presentation, we will open up for questions. To ask a question during the session, you will need to press 11 on your telephone. You will then hear an automated message advising your hand is raised. To withdraw your question, please press 11 again. Please be advised that today's call is being recorded. I would now like to hand over to your speaker, Blake Fernandez, Vice President of Investor Relations. Please go ahead.
Thank you, Victor. Good morning, and welcome to Plains All American fourth quarter 2025 earnings call. Today's slide presentation is posted on the Investor Relations website under the News and Events section at ir.plains.com. An audio replay will also be available following today's call. Important disclosures regarding forward-looking statements and non-GAAP financial measures are provided on Slide two. An overview of today's call is provided on Slide three. Our condensed consolidating balance sheet for PAGP and other reference materials are in the appendix. Today's call will be hosted by Willie Chiang, Chairman and CEO and President, and Al Swanson, Executive Vice President and CFO, along with other members of the management team. With that, I will turn the call over to Willie.
Thank you, Blake. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us. Earlier this morning, we reported fourth quarter and full-year adjusted EBITDA attributable to Plains of $738 million and $2.833 billion, respectively. 2025 was a pivotal year for Plains. The market environment presented multiple challenges, including geopolitical unrest, actions from OPEC to increase oil supply, and uncertainty on the economic impact from tariffs. As highlighted on Slide four, despite these distractions, we remain focused on transitioning to a pure-play crude company, which also serves as a catalyst to streamline our operations and better position Plains for the future. This transition is accelerated through the sale of our NGL business, along with the recent acquisition of the EPIC pipeline, now renamed Cactus III. These transactions enhance the quality and durability of our cash flow stream while improving distributable cash flow and positioning us well for future market cycles. 2026 will be a year of execution and self-help, with a focus on three initiatives. First, we remain on schedule to close the NGL divestiture near the end of the first quarter, pending Canadian Competition Bureau approval. Second, we are integrating the recently acquired Cactus III pipeline and expect to drive synergies related to that system to improve EBITDA. And third, we are streamlining the organization with a focus on efficiency, improving our cost structure. Over the past several months, we have advanced our streamlining initiatives and are targeting $100 million of identified annual savings through 2027, with approximately 50% expected to be realized in 2026. The key drivers of these efficiencies are outlined on Slide five and include reducing G&A and OpEx to reflect a more simplified business, consolidating operations, and exiting or optimizing lower-margin businesses. One example that illustrates our focus on higher-margin businesses is the sale of our Mid-Continent lease marketing business in 2025 for a total consideration of approximately $50 million with minimal impact to EBITDA. This sale removes working capital needs associated with line fill, simplifies operations with an improved cost structure, while adding long-term contracts to our business. While this transaction is relatively small, it illustrates an opportunity that we have executed on to streamline our business, improve margins, and do more with less. On the bolt-on acquisition front, in January, we acquired the Wild Horse Terminal in Cushing, Oklahoma, from Kira for a net cash consideration of approximately $10 million, which includes an upward purchase price adjustment of $65 million upon the closing of the pending NGL divestiture. This asset adds approximately 4 million barrels of storage adjacent to our existing terminal assets and is expected to generate returns well above our internal thresholds. Looking to 2026, and as highlighted on Slide six, we are providing adjusted EBITDA guidance of $2.75 billion net to Plains at the midpoint, plus or minus $75 million. With an oil segment EBITDA midpoint of $2.64 billion net to Plains, which implies a 13% growth year-over-year in the crude segment. We expect the $100 million of EBITDA from the NGL segment, assuming the divestiture closes at the end of the first quarter, and $10 million of other income. We forecast Permian crude production to be relatively flat year-over-year in '26, with overall basin volumes remaining about 6.6 million at the end of the year, similar to 2025 levels. That said, we expect growth to resume in 2027, underpinned by more constructive oil market fundamentals, driven by ongoing global energy demand growth and diminishing OPEC's spare capacity. Regarding capital allocation, we recently announced a 10% increase in the quarterly distribution payable on February 13 for both PAA and PAGP. On an annualized basis, the distribution represents a 15¢ per unit increase from the November level, bringing the annual distribution to $1.67 per unit, representing an 8.5% yield based on the recent equity price for PAA. With the simplification and streamlining of our business, stable cash flow contributions from the Cactus III acquisition, and reduced commodity exposure following the NGL sale, we are modestly reducing our distribution coverage ratio threshold from 160% to 150%. This reflects improved visibility for our business, better aligns us with peers, and paves the way for future distribution growth while still maintaining a prudent level of coverage. Our targeted annualized distribution growth remains 15¢ per unit, and the lower distribution coverage gives us more confidence in our ability to deliver increasing returns to our unitholders. Al will cover specific CapEx guidance for the year, but we expect a meaningful reduction in gross spending versus 2025 levels, and maintenance capital will naturally decrease following the NGL divestiture. We remain committed to our efficient growth strategy, generating significant free cash flow, optimizing our asset base, maintaining a flexible balance sheet, and returning cash to unitholders via our disciplined capital allocation framework. With that, I will turn the call over to Al to cover our quarterly performance and other financial matters.
Thanks, Willie. Slides seven and eight contain adjusted EBITDA walks that provide additional details on our performance. For the fourth quarter, we reported crude oil segment adjusted EBITDA of $611 million, which includes two months of contribution from the Cactus III acquisition, partially offset by a full quarter impact of recontracting on our long-haul systems. Moving to the NGL segment, we reported an adjusted EBITDA of $122 million, reflecting a seasonal uptick that was moderated somewhat by warm weather impacts on sales volumes and relatively weak frac spreads. A summary of 2026 guidance and key assumptions are on Slide nine. We remain focused on making disciplined capital investments and expect to invest approximately $350 million of growth capital and approximately $165 million of maintenance capital net to PAA in 2026. Key drivers for EBITDA year-over-year include full-year contributions from acquisitions, primarily Cactus III, efficiency and optimization gains partially offsetting the impact of the NGL sale and recontracting as provided on Slide 10. Importantly, I would note that while headline EBITDA will decline slightly from the divestiture, distributable cash flow is expected to increase approximately 1% driven by lower corporate taxes and maintenance capital. As illustrated on Slide 11, we remain committed to generating significant free cash flow and returning capital to unitholders while maintaining financial flexibility. For 2026, we expect to generate approximately $1.8 billion of adjusted free cash flow, excluding changes in assets and liabilities, and excluding sales proceeds from the NGL divestiture. With regard to the potential special distribution previously communicated, we expect the Cactus III acquisition to mitigate a significant portion of the expected tax liability to unitholders resulting from the NGL sale. From this perspective, we now expect a special distribution of 15¢ per unit or less after closing and pending board approval. Regarding our balance sheet, in November, we issued $750 million in senior unsecured notes, consisting of $300 million due in 2031 at a rate of 4.7% and $450 million in 2036 at a rate of 5.6%. Proceeds were used to partially fund the EPIC acquisition. Additionally, in the fourth quarter, we paid off the $1.1 billion EPIC term loan assumed as part of the EPIC acquisition by issuing a $1.1 billion senior unsecured term loan at BAA. As a reminder, since we invested $2.9 billion to acquire Cactus III, the majority of the proceeds from the NGL sale will be used to reduce debt. Post-closing, we expect our leverage ratio to trend toward the middle of our established target range of 3.25 to 3.75 times. With that, I will turn the call back to Willie.
Thanks, Al. 2025 is a transformational year for Plains, and we are taking steps to further strengthen our company for the future. Despite a complex macro backdrop, we proactively executed several major transactions and implemented efficiency initiatives to position Plains as the premier North American pure-play crude oil midstream company. 2026 will be a year of execution and self-help as we focus on closing the NGL sale, advancing our efficiency initiatives, and driving synergies on the Cactus III system. Collectively, these actions will help position Plains more competitively for the future. I also want to take this moment to express thanks to our Plains team, whose dedication and professionalism showed through and through as we also achieved our best-ever safety performance as measured by our best TRIR safety rate as well as the lowest severity of injuries as measured by total loss workdays. In closing, I would like to reiterate that we remain committed to our efficient growth strategy, simply stated, generate significant free cash flow, maintain a flexible balance sheet, and return capital to our unitholders. I will now turn the call back over to Blake, who will lead us into Q&A.
Thanks, Willie. As we enter the Q&A session, please limit yourself to two questions. For those with additional questions, please feel free to return to the queue. This will allow us to address questions from as many participants as possible in our available time this morning. The IR team will also be available after the call to address any additional questions you may have. Victor, we are ready to open up the call, please.
Thank you. To ask a question, you may press 11 on your telephone and wait for your name to be announced. To withdraw your question, please press 11 again. Please stand by. We will provide the Q&A roster. One moment for our first question. The first question will come from the line of Manav Gupta from UBS. Your line is open.
Good morning, guys. I actually wanted to focus a little bit more on the Cactus pipeline and all the synergy benefits you are talking about. Also, I know this is not the right macro, but eventually, the macro will turn. I am trying to understand your ability to expand Cactus III without actually putting more pipe in the ground. If you could talk about some of those factors. Thank you.
Manav, good morning. It is Jeremy. First, on the synergies question, the $50 million of synergies we disclosed, we believe we are already on run rate for that now. Roughly half of that was associated with G&A and OpEx reductions as well as removing things like insurance and other things that the pipeline had to keep because it was a private equity-backed entity. Those are gone. So half the synergies were achieved in the fourth quarter as we shed those costs. The other 25% are associated with filling the pipeline with supply that we have, doing shorter-term deals just to fill that available capacity associated with quality management. Those were ramping up now. So we would imagine during the first quarter, we will be substantially there on the run rate for the $50 million, and we should hit that number this year. As to your second question on the ability to expand the pipeline, our team, as we recontract the base pipeline to add term and improve rates for that uncontracted capacity now, in parallel, Chris's team is taking a look at all the capital-efficient ways to optimize our upstream connectivity, our downstream connectivity, and then for incremental expansions of the pipeline that do not require new pipe and that do require new pipe. So we are looking at the most capital-efficient ways to do that. We should finish that during the first half of this year. In parallel, like I said, we are recontracting for term, the rest of the pipeline. Then we will be in a position to discuss expansions with our customers, etcetera. But first, it is to stabilize the base pipeline, and then it is to look at capital-efficient expansions from there. In increments that make sense to grow with the base.
Manav, this is Willie. I think one key point that Jeremy highlighted is it is not a binary expansion at one time. We have got an opportunity to do it in phases and really match capacity to demand that is out in the market.
Perfect. My very quick follow-up is can you also talk a little bit about the $100 million in cost savings through 2027 efficiencies and other initiatives that you are undertaking at the franchise level. Thank you.
Good morning, Manav. This is Chris Chandler. So the sale of our NGL business in Canada really creates a unique opportunity for us to rethink how our company is structured and organized. That business, as you might expect, carried a fair amount of operational and commercial complexity that simply will not exist once the assets are sold. So we are taking a fresh look, from top to bottom, at how we are organized, where we are located, a fresh look at some of the maybe non-core businesses that might be better in somebody else's hands or, for example, outsourced to third parties that could do it more efficiently. So it is really an across-the-board look that you do not get to do this very often. As far as the capture rate, it is a $100 million run rate by the end of 2027. So we expect to achieve $50 million of that in 2026, another $50 million in 2027.
Thank you so much for taking my questions. I will turn it over.
Thanks, Manav. Thank you. One moment, our next question. Our next question comes from the line of Brandon Bingham from Scotiabank. Your line is open.
Hey. Good morning. Thanks for taking the questions. Maybe first, just looking at the Permian Basin outlook and kind of some of the commentary you just went through, just trying to harmonize it with some of the larger producer commentary from recent earnings calls. How is the sentiment among your producer customers? And maybe what are some of the current discussions like, assuming that $60-$65 WTI scenario in your guide?
Good morning, Brandon. This is Jeremy. First, I would say that $60 to $65 is 10% higher than it was a few weeks ago. So it is a very volatile time period. But what I would say is the larger the producer, the less sensitive they are to the plus or minus $5 swings that we used to incur. So I would say cautiously optimistic. Because if you look consistently across the producer landscape, what used to hold the Permian Basin flat was 325 rigs with less production. Now it is 230 rigs, so you can see those efficiencies are working through the system. There what I would tell you is that they are working to preserve an inventory. They are working to continue to get more efficient with how they develop it and improve recoveries. All of those things are good for stabilizing earnings for us. And we remain consistent that while 2026 may be flattish, think a more constructive environment for 2027 and beyond for growth. And that is very consistent with taking a pause, getting better at doing things, becoming more efficient. So that continues to be the case for us. So I would say that is consistent with our discussion with producers.
And, Brandon, this is Willie. I would take a look. A couple of other things to point out. You know, as we develop these basins, it is an exercise in constraint removal. So one observation is gas has been tight, and there are a number of projects that are there to alleviate that. And when you alleviate the gas constraint, actually, the breakeven for the producers improves, which allows them to be more durable going forward. And I think just to reinforce your point, you know, we have had some consolidation in the upstream section with a couple of the producers recently announced. And for us, we like that because it bolsters the producer environment to develop the basins in a more thoughtful way. And I am actually very, very encouraged by some of the technology improvements that some of the majors are focused on resource recovery. So when you factor all that in, we are very confident and constructive on the ability for the Permian to be a key part of the incremental supply for the world for quite some time. And then we would expect growth to come back as fundamentals improve.
Very helpful. Thank you. And then maybe just looking at the capital allocation priorities, would be curious to hear if maybe there is a shift in any of them versus what they have been. And specifically thinking around the payout ratio, is that 150% level more so to just continue the bolt-on strategy or other priorities? Or is there room to maybe further reduce it and maintain that 15¢ per unit distribution growth cadence a little bit longer?
Brandon, this is Al. Our view on capital allocation has not changed. I think I noted in the prepared comments, there are two ways to look at it. We got the net proceeds coming from the divestiture. We have really redeployed that already in the Cactus III. So the proceeds there will go to pay down debt. When you look ahead post that, it is all the same viewpoints that we had before. Our primary way of returning cash to shareholders is going to be through distribution growth. That is part of the 160 to 150. We are comfortable with the 150 level. We think it is actually consistent with a large number of our peers. And so we will be looking to continue looking at bolt-ons where they make economic sense. Distributing cash through distribution growth. Secondly, we do have some preferred securities as well as common unit repurchases. Those will be more on an opportunistic basis.
Very helpful. Thank you.
Thanks, Brandon. One moment for our next question. Our next question comes from the line of Michael Blum from Wells Fargo. Your line is open.
Thanks. Good morning, everyone. Maybe you could stay on the distribution coverage conversation. I am really just wanting to get a little more of your thought process on how you landed at 1.5 and not 1.4 or 1.3, just exactly there any kind of formulaic way we should be thinking about this? You know, you mentioned some of your peers, but, you know, I could take one peer off the top of my head that, you know, says 1.3 is the right coverage. So just trying to get a little more insight into your thinking on that.
Willie, this is Willie, Michael. You know, when you think about how we came up with the one sixty, right, that was in November '22. And it was intended to be a coverage threshold that was conservative, reflecting in our focus on the balance sheet. I would not try to read too much into the delta. Other than at one fifty, it is still a conservative approach to distribution. And for us, it sets a nice balance for us as we look forward on the ability for multiyear distribution growth. So I would look at it as kind of a reset to a modest reset, consistent with our peers. As we go forward, we think we have a much more durable cash flow stream, and it is really set there to allow us to feel good about our multiyear distribution growth.
Got it. Thanks for that. And then just wanted to ask on the growth CapEx of $350 million, I guess twofold. One, can you give us any details about any discrete projects that make that up or just some color around what is in that number? And then is this a good way to think about a run rate going forward now that you are really focused in the current markets?
Thanks. Good morning, Michael. It is Chris Chandler. So, yes, our guide for 2026 is $350 million. That brings us into our more typical $300 million to $400 million range, which we do think is a good number going forward absent any large investments, which we would call out separately. When I think about how we got to $350 and comparing it to prior years, we, of course, finished up the NGL fractionator expansion last year in Canada. We finished up a number of Permian crude oil infrastructure projects, and we finished a project to unload Uinta wax crude in the Mid-Continent. So those obviously all brought the number down on a year-on-year basis. As far as how we build up into the $350, we have a healthy Permian connection program that is ongoing. In 2025, we connected more wells than we connected in 2024, and 2026 looks to be on a similar pace so far. We are also, of course, doing some modest investment to integrate the Cactus III pipeline to capture synergies, as Jeremy mentioned, with additional connectivity and opportunities for quality optimization and cross-connecting between our other Cactus pipes for energy efficiency. And then we see some good opportunities to potentially invest capital into our Canadian crude oil business. We are pursuing a number of potential contracts that would underwrite expansions there and have assumed some of that moves forward in 2026 as part of our capital spending.
Thank you.
Welcome. Thank you. One moment for our next question. Our next question will come from the line of Jeremy Tonet from JPMorgan Securities. Your line is open.
Hi. Good morning. Good morning. Can you hear me? Thanks for the color today. I just wanted to take a step back here, and there have been some geopolitical developments recently, you know, particularly up, you know, what has been happening in Venezuela. And it seems like there could be a domino effect in a lot of different directions of what happened there. So I just wondering if you might be able to share any thoughts on how things could unfold, how could it impact Plains flows on assets, utilization, or even repurposing of assets.
Hey, Jeremy. Jeremy Goebel. How are you? I was calling I mean, the idea around Venezuela, think of it the initial response 50 million barrels sold into The US Gulf Coast, a significant portion. Do you restructure some of the slates and get consistent with what maybe Pascagoula or the St. James refiners or the Houston refiners had run. That immediate impact was widening of Canadian differentials in the Gulf Coast, the other heavy sour differentials, the Mid-Con and Canada. That creates opportunities more opportunities for quality optimization, cross-border flows, and other movements. Going forward, if you look out a few years and maybe add two to three hundred thousand barrels a day, that might change some buying habits that should not be enough with the commodity prices where they are to change Canadian flows materially. They will have the price to move. So that would probably be a little bit wider Canadian differentials than otherwise would have been. It would take materially more than that to probably repurpose pipelines. But if you look if you added a million barrels a day, that does different things. Right? That now may push Canadian barrels to the West Coast. That may create other opportunities to repurpose pipes from the Gulf Coast to other markets to feed heavy sours into those. So I think it is there is no easy answer because first, you need stability in the government. You need substantial reinvestment. Near term, I think it creates some opportunities around quality management and use of our cross-border pipes. Intermediate term, it creates some logistical opportunities for us as well. But longer term, I think it is going to take substantial investment and time for repurposing, but we are certainly monitoring and paying attention to it.
Got it. That is very helpful there. And one other high-level question if I could. Plains has been active in, you know, industry consolidation, bolt-on M&A, what have you over time. And I was just wondering from your perspective, Willie, where do you think what inning are we in right now for consolidation in the crude oil infrastructure industry, bolt-on, larger consolidation what have you.
Well, I would say it is not a perfectly smooth trajectory if you think about consolidation. And know, and specifically for us, we have made a couple of large transactions. Our focus right now is really to execute on those. We look at we look at all kinds of opportunities that are out there. So you can be assured that as we as we look at things, stay capital disciplined on being able to acquire things. But I do think there will be more opportunities that are out there. And frankly, you know, to your earlier question, when you think about the macro and you look at the North American infrastructure, you asked about Venezuela. Everyone has a different outlook and view of what might happen there. I personally think it is going to be very challenged to get a significant amount of growth out of Venezuela. Which leads, know, leads us to a more constructive crude oil environment going forward. When you think about the infrastructure that we have in ground and the ability to repurpose, if it makes sense, there is a lot of need opportunities there. And know, I mentioned this on one of the last calls. If you think about the basins that you want to be involved in, The Permian Basin, obviously, is key, close to markets, growth. Low breakevens, but you also have Western Canada. And everyone is aware of the desire for them to go to the West Coast. And, you know, we stay very involved in potential of bringing more barrels down to the to The US. So there is a lot of need opportunities, and you can expect us to stay on track and looking at those with financial discipline.
Got it. That is helpful. Thank you.
Thanks, Jeremy. Thank you. One moment for our next question. Next question will come from the line of Keith Stanley from Wolfe Research. Your line is open.
Hi. Good morning. Wanted to ask on coverage. So the release specifically says that the change in threshold to 150% provides a multiyear runway for 15¢ increases. I want to confirm, should we interpret that as the plan would be 15¢ increases for at least two more years? And if that is right, it implies a fair amount of growth. Since, you know, you would have to stay above that 150%. Can you just talk to some of the growth drivers you see in the next twenty-seven and twenty-eight that would support that?
Yeah, Keith. This is Willie. You are very astute as you did your calculations. The message we wanted to send is we have the ability to continue to grow beyond 2026. If you think of our EBITDA this year, we have got a $100 million of NGL contribution. And if you think about '27 plus, we have got self-help that chews up easily half of that. Our comments earlier about additional growth in the Permian gives us confidence in that. And, we know we are going to be able to extract additional efficient growth synergies out of that. So out of our asset base. So we are telegraphing that we think we can grow beyond 2026.
Okay. Great. And then one other coverage one. So you have talked to the rationale for 150% of DCF. When you assess where you want to go from a coverage perspective, do you look at it on a free cash flow basis too? Because I you have pretty steady $300-$400 million a year of investment capital. Just how do you look at it, I guess, on a free cash flow perspective as well?
Keith, this is Al. We have really set it based on DCF. In the view that the DCF coverage of say, one sixty or now one fifty would allow us to fund what we would call routine organic capital, the $300 to $400 million kind of range that we think is more of a normalized level. Plus a small bit for bolt-ons. So we think of it more of the coverage funding routine investments. Clearly, if we see investments that are outside of what is routine or larger, that we will use the balance sheet for that. So it is not a precision on free cash flow. It is really a percentage of free cash flow, but we are allowing for that kind of self-funding of what we think is a routine kind of profile of investment capital.
Thank you.
Thanks, Keith. Thank you. One moment for our next question. Next question comes from the line of John McKay from Goldman Sachs. Your line is open.
Hey, guys. Thank you for the time. I would want to touch on the long-haul Permian volume guidance for a second. It is a little maybe if you can just talk a little bit about the year-over-year bridge. I think it is a little stronger than what we were looking for, but maybe the overall margin intact. So a little bit of that volume versus margin mix and then bridging us to that pretty high 26 number.
Thanks. John, good morning. It is Jeremy. There are three components to it. First, you have got the full-year run rate of the Cactus III integration into the system. Second, you have got a significant uptick in contracted capacity on the basin pipeline system. And so that would explain some of the lower margins just because, like, the rate from Midland to Cushing is lower than that to the Gulf Coast. And then third, you would have the Bridgestex pipeline full-year run rate since that was acquired during partially half the year.
That is very helpful, Jeremy. I appreciate that. Second one, maybe just looking a little more near term. What did you guys see in terms of storm impacts on volumes across the board? I think that the visibility on the gas side has been clear. But maybe just walk us through kind of what you said the last week or two and kind of where the recovery stands right now.
Thanks, John. Start with the recovery, that is already happened. So it was roughly a seven to ten-day period when you had back-to-back freezes. A lot of that impacted the gas infrastructure, made it difficult. And once gas infrastructure is impacted, it shuts in the crude. So we saw almost like a reverse check mark type recovery. It went down and slow to come back. I would say that basin as a whole probably lost 10 to 12 million barrels of production. The crude side and NGLs may be half that over that seven to ten-day period, but we are back we are out of that trough have been for a few days.
Super interesting. I appreciate the color. Thank you, guys.
Thank you. And that is all been considered in our guidance. So just for the record there, that impact has been considered.
Thank you. Our next question will come from the line of Sunil Sibal from Global. Your line is open.
Yeah. Hi. Good morning. Thanks for the time. Most of my questions have been hit, but just a couple of clarifications. So in regards to your loading of distribution coverage to 150%, so obviously, you have, you know, more contracted cash flows coming in through Cactus. But I was kind of curious if there is anything else in terms of, you know, how you manage your other assets in terms of contracting that we should be thinking about there.
Sunil, this is Al. No. I mean, we are with the one fifty. We think the crude segment is a stable cash flow stream. Clearly, the EPIC contract is highly contracted. But as we look at it, we think the one fifty coverage is actually still remains a conservative coverage level relative to our company, and we also think it funds what I described as a routine kind of investment capital going forward.
Okay. Thanks for that. And then I think in your prepared remarks, you mentioned about some storage acquisition, the Wild Horse Terminal. Could you walk through that a little bit again? I think you said 4 million barrels of storage. But what is the approximate cost for that?
Sunil, hi. This is Jeremy. Good morning. Here is what I would say. So that is four to 5 million barrels for, functional right now. It is adjacent to our existing facility. Our net cost is in his to be $10 million. It may take us some time to integrate the facility. It has got an existing operation today. We feel like we have sufficient demand. Our existing Cushing facility is fully contracted to downstream partners. We would just think of this as an addition to that business with a low-cost basis. For us. We could not build those tanks for $10 million. We are excited about the opportunity to grow our relationships with our customers.
Okay. Thanks for that.
Thank you. One moment for our next question. Next question will come from the line of AJ O'Donnell from TPH. Your line is open.
Hey. Thanks for your time, everyone. Just one question for me. Not sure where the development of Venezuela kind of fit on the timeline of your budget. But just curious as you sit here today and think about where dips are and how quality dips have moved. Just curious how you think about the market-based opportunities trending above or below kind of that $50 million mark that you outlined in your deck?
AJ, good morning. What I would say is the current market reflects what our budget is. So those happened towards the end of last year, giving us the opportunity to lock in spreads across the board. So significantly derisked the opportunity for us, and they moved out. So things move all the time. But when you have a movement like this, it gives you the opportunity to lock some things in. So I would say it firmed up part of our plan.
Okay. Thanks for the color.
Thank you. One moment for our next question. Our next question comes from the line of Jeremy Tonet from JPMorgan Securities. Your line is open.
Hi there. Thank you for squeezing me back in. Just a couple quick ones if I could add. We talked a good amount about the 60% of business at the Permian, but just wondering if you could provide maybe a little bit more color on the other 40% of the business and what trends you are seeing there. And I get that there are cross currents or it is influenced by, you know, cost cut savings you are seeing there and that will have some impacts. But just how do you think about volumes and EBITDA for that other 40% of business kind of trending over time?
Jeremy, good morning. What I would say is let us start from the North. Excited about Canada. As Chris mentioned, opportunities around our rainbow system to expand our rangeland system, more activity. The rest of the business is largely flat in Canada. So if you take our Rockies position, everything North Of Cushing and West Of Cushing, that is relatively stable and contracted, so flattish would be the view of that position. Cushing throughput continues at all-time highs year over year for us. So we think that those assets in Cushing and the refinery feed assets consistent with the refiners' performance, that should perform well this year. The South Texas is really somewhat of an extension of the Permian Basin business. It is a wellhead gathering business with trucking to support it. And so that step down from the Cactus contract did impact that business as well. As far as volumes and opportunity set following Ironwood, Cactus, three, and the integration with our legacy system, we are excited about what we see in South Texas. Now East Of Cushing, the cap line system and Liberty in Mississippi, those are assets we are looking to fill longer term and working on some longer-term contracting. And St. James continues to perform and with the expectation of growth in the Uinta Basin over the next eighteen months to continue to come through to our St. James facility. So think we have got exciting things across that platform. It is not as volatile, and it is not much growth on the other, but you will see some potential capital investments there as we get contracts to support it.
Got it. That is helpful there. Thanks. And, Jen, just one last one if I could. As it relates to the sensitivities for the 100,000 barrels per day change in total Permian production having a 10 to 15 million impact on the business. Just wondering if there is any more color you could provide there, if, how that sensitivity might change, if volumes grow over time? Is it linear or could there be an inflection realizing there is an interplay with differentials there? But just any other color, I guess, on how that could fall out.
Jeremy, here is what I would say. I think the business is very large. So when we talk 100,000 barrels a day out of a basin, that is over 6 million barrels a day, the impact of the gathering system is going to be relatively modest. So that is 10 to 15 million of per 100,000 barrels a day probably still applies. The integrated benefit may grow over time. I think that is more of the impact of the price to go to Midland and what could change it might be on the margins, some differentials around WTL and WTI. But I think just because of the size of that business, it is probably going to stay in a very tight band. The impact might be to the long-haul margin since we have been reset to what is the new market. Our expectations would be those would widen out over time, so you might see more of an impact to the long-haul business.
Got it. That is helpful. All you have been there. Thanks.
We will see you next time, Jeremy.
Thank you. I am not showing any questions in the queue right now. I will now like to hand back over to management for closing remarks.
Thanks, Victor, and thanks to all of you for dialing in. We look forward to visiting with you on the road, and I hope you have a safe weekend. Thank you.
Thank you for your participation in today's conference. This does conclude the program. You may now disconnect. Everyone, have a great day.
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-02-04Plains GP Gears Up to Report Q4 Earnings: What's in the Cards?
Zacks
Plains GP Gears Up to Report Q4 Earnings: What's in the Cards?
Plains GP Holdings PAGP is set to report fourth-quarter 2025 results on Feb. 6, 2026, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, PAGP’s adjusted earnings of 31 cents per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 42 cents. PAGP missed the consensus estimate for earnings in three of the trailing four quarters and beat once, with the average negative surprise being 57.6%. This is depicted in the graph below: Plains Group Holdings, L.P. price-eps-surprise | Plains Group Holdings, L.P. Quote The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at 55 cents per share, implying a massive improvement from the year-ago reported number. It has witnessed no estimate revisions in the past seven days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter revenues is currently pegged at $11.6 billion, suggesting a 6.8% fall from the year-ago actuals. Our proven model doesn’t predict an earnings beat for PAGP this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy), or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. That is just not the case here. The publicly traded entity has an Earnings ESP of -35.78% and a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. PAGP has an indirect, non-economic interest in Plains All American Pipeline LP PAA, a leading master limited partnership, having a vast network of pipeline and other midstream assets. Since midstream business is inherently stable, PAGP is likely to have generated stable cash flows in the fourth quarter. The extensive midstream assets also comprise storage, processing and fractionation facilities, which paint a picture of the stability of midstream operations. Here are two stocks that you may want to consider, as these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this reporting cycle. Antero Midstream Corporation AM presently has an Earnings ESP of +0.84% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Antero Midstream is scheduled to release fourth-quarter earnings on Feb. 11. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at 24 cents per share, suggesting a 4.35% increase from the prior-year reported figure. BP plc BP currently has an Earnings...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-01-06Plains All American Pipeline and Plains GP Holdings Announce Quarterly Distributions and Timing of Fourth Quarter 2025 Earnings
GlobeNewswire
Plains All American Pipeline and Plains GP Holdings Announce Quarterly Distributions and Timing of Fourth Quarter 2025 Earnings
HOUSTON, Jan. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (Nasdaq: PAA) and Plains GP Holdings (Nasdaq: PAGP) announced today their quarterly distributions with respect to the fourth quarter of 2025 and also announced timing of fourth quarter 2025 earnings. Fourth Quarter Distribution Declaration PAA and PAGP announced the following quarterly cash distributions, each of which will be payable on February 13, 2026, to holders of the respective securities at the close of business on January 30, 2026: PAA Common Units – $0.4175 per Common Unit ($1.67 per unit on an annualized basis), which represents a $0.0375 increase from the distribution paid in November 2025 ($0.15 per unit increase, or 10%, on an annualized basis). PAGP Class A Shares – $0.4175 per Class A Share ($1.67 per Class A Share on an annualized basis), which represents a $0.0375 increase from the distribution paid in November 2025 ($0.15 per unit increase, or 10%, on an annualized basis). PAA Series A Preferred Units – $0.61524 per Series A Preferred Unit (approximately $2.46 per unit on an annualized basis). For its Series B Preferred Units, PAA announced a quarterly distribution of $21.02 per Series B Unit (based on the applicable quarterly floating rate), which will be payable on February 17, 2026, to holders of record at the close of business on February 2, 2026. Although equity holders should consult their own tax advisor regarding their particular circumstances, due to the pending NGL assets sale, PAGP expects to report positive current earnings and profits for the Tax Year 2026, making part of its Class A Share cash distribution taxable as a dividend. The transaction is not estimated to result in a material change in the previous forecast regarding when routine PAGP distributions will shift from being a return of capital to being taxed as dividends or when PAGP will become a taxpaying entity. After the transaction closes, and upon payment of quarterly distributions throughout 2026, Plains will publish Form 8937, Report of Organizational Actions Affecting Basis of Securities to clarify the expected portion of the quarterly distribution that will be taxed as a dividend. In addition, to the extent any cash distribution exceeds a Class A Shareholder’s tax basis, it should be taxable as a capital gain. Qualified Notices under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446 with respect to...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2025-11-07Plains GP Holdings LP (PAGP) Q3 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strategic Moves and Financial ...
GuruFocus.com
Plains GP Holdings LP (PAGP) Q3 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strategic Moves and Financial ...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Release Date: November 05, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Plains GP Holdings LP (NASDAQ:PAGP) reported a solid third-quarter adjusted EBITDA of $669 million, reflecting strong financial performance. The company successfully executed its strategy of lowering leverage, maximizing free cash flow, and optimizing its system while maintaining capital discipline. The acquisition of the remaining 45% of Epic Crude Holdings is expected to generate a mid-teens unlevered return and improve synergy capture. The pending sale of NGL assets is expected to close early next year, further focusing the portfolio on crude oil and enhancing cash flow stability. Plains GP Holdings LP (NASDAQ:PAGP) plans to continue increasing distributions by $0.15 until reaching its targeted coverage, indicating a commitment to returning cash to unit holders. The company's leverage ratio is expected to temporarily exceed the upper end of its target range until the NGL divestiture is finalized. The NGL segment reported a decrease in adjusted EBITDA due to lower sales volume tied to temporary downtime on a third-party transmission system. Certain Permian long-haul contract rates reset to market in September, impacting the crude oil segment's adjusted EBITDA. The timing of the NGL sale could affect the company's ability to maintain its distribution growth rate if not closed early in the year. There is uncertainty in predicting 2026 performance due to mixed signals from operators and market conditions, making long-term planning challenging. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Signs with PAGP. Is PAGP fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Q: Can you provide more details on the synergy capture from the Epic deal? How much will be cost savings versus commercial synergies, and what is the timeline for capturing these synergies? A: Willie Chang, CEO: The Epic acquisition allows us to have more control, leading to immediate cost structure and overhead savings. We expect to capture these synergies in 2026. The expansion opportunities are flexible, allowing us to dictate partial expansions based on market demands. Jeremy, EVP, added that the compression in multiple next year is due to contractual step-ups and cost savings, which are almost immediate. Q: With the...

