Suburban Propane Partners LP

Propane is a cold-weather essential. How's the propane market stacking up and what stocks should investors prioritize?

Over the past 12 months the group has had mixed results.

APU competes with Suburban Propane (SPH) and Ferrellgas Partners (FGP). APU is the country’s largest retail propane marketer, serving 2 million customers in all 50 states.

Ferrellgas Partners, L.P. (FGP), a master limited partnership (MLP), is the second largest retail propane distributor in the U.S. serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, as measured by the volume of retail sales in fiscal 2013, and the largest national provider of propane by portable tank exchange.

Propane distributors such as Amerigas Partners (APU), Ferrellgas (FGP), and Suburban Propane (SPH) sell propane and related equipment to a variety of end markets. Find out what trends could hurt propane names this winter.

OppenheimerFunds, Energy Income Partners, and City National Rochdale hold 4.1%, 3.4%, and 1.6%, respectively, of AmeriGas Partners’ outstanding shares.

Propane demand for home heating purpose is directly affected by the severity of the winter. In any given region, colder-than-normal temperatures in the winter season tend to result in greater usage.