Out Fox The $treet

The stock price continues plunging ahead of the finalization of the merger with ETE. The deal complexity and required cash portion of the transaction were signals to avoid the stock. Williams doesn't trade at enough of a discount to warrant owning the stock prior to the merger closing in early 2016. The energy sector, and especially the infrastructure space, is in the midst of a massive collapse. One stock caught up in the carnage is Williams Cos. (NYSE: WMB ), with the stock down 13% on Monday and nearly $10 in the previous four trading days before a rebound on Tuesday. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha. Disclosure: No position mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

After a great 2012 in the pipeline business, Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (PAA) completed a transaction to increase the focus on rail transportation growth. The company finalized a $500M deal to acquire several loading facilities for railroads though the existing enterprise value of nearly $22B limits the impact of this rail move. Plains All American engages in the transportation, storage, terminalling, and marketing of crude oil, refined products, and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) products in the United States and Canada. The move highlights the transformational currents under cutting the pipeline business. As crude oil has been unable to transverse the current pipeline system to reach the refineries on the coasts, the railroads have stepped up with more direct routes that bypass the congested Cushing, OK oil hub. Not only is it a boon to railroads struggling with weak coal shipments, but exploration and refinery companies are access to better pricing than currently available. R...

After a great 2011 and facing a promising finish to 2012, Oneok Partners, L.P. (OKS) has fallen out of favor since the start of November. First, the company provided disappointing commentary on the Q3 earnings call. Second, it announced the decision to not move forward with a Bakken pipeline. The combination turned the market away from this previously hot stock. The company is one of the largest traded MLPs and a leader in gathering, processing, storage, and transportation of natural gas. ONEOK, Inc. (OKE) owns 42.8% of the equity interest. The stock has plunged from over $60 in early November to just below $53 today. In fact, the stock is now down for the year and approaching a total return near flat. Is it time to buy the stock now or are investors realizing that pipeline MLPs aren't free money? Read the full article on Seeking Alpha. The article is classified as PRO and will only be available for viewing for 30 days from 12/17/12. Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Plea...

MLPs or Master Limited Partnerships make for interesting investing dilemmas right now. On one hand, the dividend yields on popular MLPs such as Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (MMP) at 4.5% are a lot more lucrative than Treasury yields. The rate on the 10 year at 1.44% is paltry in comparison to this MLP. On the other hand, the yields for most MLPs are at multi year lows from surging stock prices. Magellan Midstream Partners is a publicly traded partnership that primarily transports, stores and distributes petroleum products. The partnership owns the longest petroleum products pipeline system in the country, with access to more than 40% of the nation's refining capacity, and can store 80 million barrels of petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel fuel and crude oil. Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details.