That energy sector includes six industries all related to bringing oil and gas to market. They are: drilling, exploration and production (E&P), equipment and services, integrated, midstream, refining & marketing.  (Those six oily and gassy enterprises.)

Today I'm reviewing a large-cap oil and gas midstream company named MPLX LP. Its trading ticker symbol is MPLX.

MPLX is primarily a refinery logistics master limited partnership with extensive holdings in the Marcellus/Utica region. The asset base is made up of assets dropped down from Marathon Petroleum, its sponsor, and gathering, and processing assets from MarkWest, which it acquired in 2015.

It operates in two segments, Logistics and Storage, and Gathering and Processing segments. The company is involved in the gathering, processing, and transportation of natural gas; gathering, transportation, fractionation, storage, and marketing of natural gas liquids (NGLs); and gathering, transportation, and storage of crude oil and refined petroleum products.

MPLX LP also engages in inland marine business, which transports light products, heavy oils, crude oil, renewable fuels, chemicals, and feedstocks in the Midwest and U.S. Gulf Coast regions through inland marine vessels.

MPLX GP LLC acts as the general partner of MPLX LP. MPLX LP was founded in 2012 and is based in Findlay, Ohio. MPLX LP operates as a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corporation.

I use three key data points to gauge the value of any dividend equity like MPLX LP.:

(1) Price

(2) Dividends

(3) Returns

Besides those three, several other keys will finally unlock an equity or fund in which to invest.

Those first three primary keys, however, best tell whether a company has made, is making, and will make money.

MPLX Price

MPLX's price per share closed at $33.26 yesterday. A year ago its price was $34.85. So price fell  $1.59 per share last year, 4.5%.

Assuming MPLX's stock trades in the range of $25 to $40 next year, MPLX's recent $33.26 price could rise by  $1.74 and go to $35.00 by early-February, 2020.

MPLX Dividends

MPLX's most recent Quarterly dividend was $0.6475 payable tomorrow February 14th.

That quarterly dividend equates to a  $2.59 annual payout and a yield of 7.94% at yesterday's $33.26 closing price.

Gains For MPLX?

Adding the $2.59 annual estimated dividend to my $1.74 MPLX estimated price upside shows a $4.33 potential gross annual gain, per share, which will be reduced by costs to trade those shares.

Say we put a little under $1,000.00 today at the $33.26 recent stock price would buy us 30 MPLX LP. shares.

A $10 broker fee paid half at purchase and half at sale costs $0.33 per share.

Subtract that $0.33 brokerage cost from the estimated $4.33 gross annual gain leaves a net gain of $4.00 X 30 shares

= $120.00  or a 12% net gain on a $997.80 investment.

Therefore, MPLX LP.  whose trading ticker symbol is MPLX now shows a possible net gain of 12% including that 7.94% dividend yield.

Sixteen brokers cover this stock:

Nine say 'buy' MPLX

Five say MPLX will 'outperform' peers.

Two say 'hold' your MPLX shares.

Therefore, you can look at MPLX LP and see it has made money, is making money, and could throw a net gain of 12% including that 7.94% dividend yield. It could be more, it could be less.

The above speculation is based on past year performance. The actual results remain to be seen to determine if MPLX LP is worth your time and money.