To Buy or Not to Buy Enterprise Products Stock Before Q2 Earnings?

Enterprise Products Partners LP EPD is set to report second-quarter 2025 results on July 28, before the opening bell.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter earnings is pegged at 65 cents per share, suggesting a 1.6% improvement from the year-ago reported number. There have been two downward earnings estimate revisions over the past 30 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter revenues is pegged at $14.2 billion, suggesting a 5.4% increase from the year-ago actuals.

EPD beat the consensus estimate for earnings in one of the trailing four quarters and missed the same thrice, with the average negative surprise being 0.8%. This is depicted in the graph below:  

EPD’s Q2 Earnings Whispers

Our proven model doesn’t predict an earnings beat for EPD 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 not the case here.

The partnership has an Earnings ESP of +0.90% and it currently carries 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.

Factors to Note for EPD

Enterprise Products is among the leading providers of midstream services in North America. The partnership is likely to have generated stable fee-based revenues in the June quarter, with its pipeline network spread across 50,000 miles, transporting natural gas, NGLs, crude oil, refined products and petrochemicals. The partnership is also expected to have generated stable cashflows with a storage capacity of more than 300 million barrels for NGLs, crude oil, petrochemicals and refined products.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the gross operating margin from Enterprise Products' NGL Pipelines & Services business segment is pegged at $1,416.5 million, higher than the $1,325 million recorded a year ago. The rising demand for NGL, used in various applications, such as home heating, plastic production and fuel, is likely to have driven increased activity in the NGL Pipelines & Services business unit.

Are ENB & KMI’s Business Models Stable?

Like EPD, the business models of Kinder Morgan KMI and Enbridge ENB are backed by stable fee-based revenues.

Kinder Morgan’s position as a leading midstream service provider is reinforced by a network of pipeline and storage assets that operate under long-term take-or-pay contracts. These contracts ensure that shippers pay for the capacity reserved, whether they utilize it or not, which provides a steady stream of revenues. This structure allows KMI to generate stable earnings, primarily insulated from fluctuations in the volume of natural gas transported, offering significant stability to its bottom line.

Similarly, Enbridge benefits from the long-term, fee-based nature of its midstream operations. Its pipelines transport 20% of the total natural gas consumed in the United States. The company generates stable, fee-based revenues from these midstream assets, as they are booked by shippers on a long-term basis, minimizing commodity price volatility and volume risks.

Adding to its stability, ENB will generate incremental cash flows from its C$28 billion backlog of secured capital projects, which include liquids pipelines, gas transmission, gas distribution and storage, and renewables. The maximum in-service date is 2029.

EPD’s Price Performance & Valuation

EPD's stock has soared 13.8% over the past year compared with the 12.9% rise of the composite stocks belonging to the industry. Kinder Morgan and Enbridge, two other leading midstream energy players, have gained 33.4% and 32.4%, respectively.

One-Year Price Chart

EPD appears relatively undervalued, suggesting the potential for price increases. The partnership's current trailing 12-month enterprise value/earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EV/EBITDA) ratio is 10.18 compared with the industry average of 11.51, reflecting that it is trading at a discount.

Investment Thesis of EPD

Enterprise Products is spending $7.6 billion on growth midstream projects, comprising building new pipelines, gas processing plants and export facilities that are currently under construction. However, on its first-quarter earnings call, the partnership disclosed that a large portion of its planned 2026 spending, between $1.8 billion and $1.9 billion, is already allocated to completing projects that have been formally approved. These projects have passed the Final Investment Decision (FID) stage, indicating that construction is in progress and the company is firmly committed to moving forward with them.

Because of this, if Enterprise Products’ business market environment gets worse, it can’t easily reduce or delay this spending, which is a big risk to the midstream energy giant’s operations. This is because EPD may end up with lower-than-expected returns on these major investments if the economy weakens.

Last Word

Considering Enterprise Products’ risks if project economics shift unfavorably, it is better to get rid of the stock now.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research