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Suburban Propane (SPH) AI Stock Analysis

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SPH

Suburban Propane

(NYSE:SPH)

Select Model
Rating:70Outperform
Price Target:$19.00â–²(7.89% Upside)
Action:reiterated
Date:10/22/26

SPH scores well primarily due to improved fundamentals (strong TTM profitability, revenue growth, and sharply reduced leverage) and an attractive income/valuation profile (low P/E and high yield). The score is tempered by mixed technicals (below longer-term moving averages and elevated Stoch) and softer recent free cash flow conversion and trend.

Positive Factors
Profitability and Revenue GrowthHealthy operating, EBITDA, and net margins show that SPH converts distribution revenue into meaningful earnings, while positive TTM growth indicates ongoing demand and market activity. This profitability base can support reinvestment and help preserve competitive strength over the next several quarters.
Negative Factors
Weakening Free Cash FlowAlthough operating cash flow remains positive, moderate free cash flow conversion means less earnings are currently translating into cash available for debt reduction, reinvestment, or distributions. The recent decline also reduces confidence that cash generation will consistently track reported profitability.

Suburban Propane (SPH) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

-15%-10%-5%0%5%10%15%20%SPH-2.85%SPY+14.28%Dec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
Market Cap
$1.17B
Dividend Yield
7.52%
Average Volume (3M)
197.45K
Price to Earnings (P/E)
8.9
Beta (1Y)
0.13
Revenue Growth
-2.48%
EPS Growth
31.10%
Country
US
Employees
3,266
Sector
Utilities
Sector Strength
66
Industry
Oil & Gas Energy

Suburban Propane Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. is a nationwide marketer and distributor of a diverse array of energy-related products, specializing in propane, fuel oil and refined fuels. It serves approximately 1 million residential, commercial, industrial, and ag...

How the Company Makes Money

Suburban Propane primarily makes money by selling propane (and, to a lesser extent, related fuels/products and services) to end customers through its distribution network. Key revenue streams and drivers include: 1) Propane sales (core revenue): The...

Suburban Propane Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:May 07, 2026(Q2-2026)|% Change Since:-3.79%|Next Earnings Date:Feb 04, 2027
Earnings Call SentimentPositive

The call conveyed a generally positive tone driven by strong operational resilience in the heating season, debt reduction of over $64 million, improving RNG production (+16% sequential, +12% YoY) and recognition of $3.5 million in production tax credits. Management highlighted disciplined capital allocation, on-schedule RNG projects adding ~200,000 MMBtus annually, and maintained distributions with 2.2x coverage. Offsetting risks include flat quarter-over-quarter EBITDA, high U.S. propane inventories (+75% YoY) and a 23% decline in average wholesale propane prices, warm western weather that drove ~10% lower volumes in that region, hedge mark-to-market volatility, and still-elevated leverage (4.34x). Overall, the positive operational execution, balance sheet improvement, and RNG momentum outweigh the noted headwinds.

Positive Updates

Solid Adjusted EBITDA and H1 Growth
Adjusted EBITDA for Q2 was $175.3 million (essentially flat YoY). Combined with Q1, adjusted EBITDA for the first half was $258.7 million, an increase of $8.4 million or 3.4% compared to the prior year first two quarters.

Negative Updates

Flat Quarter and Slight EPS Decline
Q2 adjusted EBITDA was flat YoY and adjusted net income per common unit was $2.09 versus $2.11 in the prior year second quarter (small decline in per-unit earnings).

Company Guidance

Management guided that its two RNG projects (Upstate New York digester and Columbus gas upgrade) remain on schedule for completion in the second half of fiscal 2026 and are expected to add roughly 200,000 MMBtus of annual RNG production, with PTC eligibility anticipated for the Upstate NY facility (the company recognized $3.5M of PTCs for Jan 2025–Mar 2026, including $2.0M catch‑up for FY2025 and $0.8M for Q1 FY2026); full‑year capital spending for the existing projects is estimated at $35–$40M (YTD RNG CapEx $19M; Q2 total CapEx $24.7M), and management reiterated a disciplined capital allocation strategy to use excess operating cash flow to pay down debt (repaid $64.3M in Q2, >$64M total), maintain ample revolver capacity, strengthen the balance sheet (trailing‑12‑month leverage improved to 4.34x from 4.54x), and support the $0.325 quarterly distribution (annualized $1.30, coverage 2.2x) while driving continued operational performance to sustain adjusted EBITDA (Q2 $175.3M; H1 $258.7M, +$8.4M or 3.4% Y/Y).

Suburban Propane Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Financial performance is solid overall: TTM margins are healthy (net ~9.4%, operating ~14.9%, EBITDA ~19.8%) with positive TTM revenue growth (~8.8%) and improved net income. The balance sheet is notably stronger with much lower leverage (debt-to-equity ~0.15) and strong ROE (~19.5%). Offsets are historical margin volatility and only moderate/softening free cash flow conversion (FCF ~50% of net income; TTM FCF growth ~-5.48%).

Income Statement

74Positive

Balance Sheet

78Positive

Cash Flow

63Positive
Financial statement breakdown
BreakdownTTMSep 2025Sep 2024Sep 2023Sep 2022Sep 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue1.39B1.43B1.33B1.43B1.50B1.29B
Gross Profit448.36M302.69M804.98M361.00M789.34M803.28M
EBITDA275.64M256.23M216.47M260.39M259.64M296.59M
Net Income130.66M106.57M74.17M123.75M139.71M122.79M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets2.36B2.30B2.27B2.27B2.10B2.05B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments5.03M3.71M3.22M3.51M4.10M5.81M
Total Debt1.33B1.33B1.35B1.33B1.21B1.25B
Total Liabilities1.64B1.70B1.73B1.72B1.61B1.63B
Stockholders Equity713.02M598.57M547.06M546.36M497.53M425.42M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow125.36M114.30M101.16M180.29M176.19M196.70M
Operating Cash Flow250.01M186.26M160.59M225.24M220.55M226.55M
Investing Cash Flow-165.79M-128.25M-81.64M-170.64M-94.44M-34.08M
Financing Cash Flow-76.68M-66.74M-72.50M-44.63M-127.82M-189.81M

Suburban Propane Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis SentimentPositive
Last Price17.61

Price Trends

50DMA16.90Positive
100DMA17.12Positive
200DMA17.97Negative

Market Momentum

MACD0.16Negative
RSI59.63Neutral
STOCH44.07Neutral

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For SPH, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 17.61 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 17.31, above the 50-day MA of 16.90, and below the 200-day MA of 17.97, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of 0.16 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 59.63 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 44.07 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for SPH.

Suburban Propane Risk Analysis

Suburban Propane disclosed 51 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Suburban Propane reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.

Higher RiskSector Avg.Lower RiskFinance & CorporateTech & InnovationLegal & RegulatoryProductionAbility to SellMacro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy

Latest Risks Added

3 New Risks
1.Our plans for growth and diversification may not be successful or could expose our business to new risks.Q3, 2023
2.We are subject to laws, rules, regulations and policies regarding data privacy and security, and may be subject to additional related laws and regulations in jurisdictions in which we operate. Many of these laws and regulations are subject to change and interpretation, and could result in claims, changes to our business practices, monetary penalties, increased cost of operations or other harm to our business.Q3, 2023
3.The generation and monetization of environmental attributes by our renewable natural gas assets are subject to state and federal regulations that could negatively impact the availability or value of environmental attributes in the future.Q3, 2023

Suburban Propane Peers Comparison

Overall Rating

UnderperformOutperform
Sector (66)

Financial Indicators

SPH against its peers
NameOverall RatingMarket CapP/E RatioROEDividend YieldRevenue GrowthEPS Growth
SPHSPH70Outperform$1.18B8.9419.49%7.52%-2.48%31.10%
CPKCPK69Neutral$3.44B22.089.20%2.02%13.91%12.26%
SRSR69Neutral$5.29B9.8215.87%3.74%4.12%93.82%
UGIUGI69Neutral$8.05B12.0313.15%4.00%-0.50%60.66%
SWXSWX67Neutral$6.67B25.676.42%2.73%-56.99%-43.86%
OGSOGS66Neutral$5.17B17.458.35%3.29%-1.89%9.38%
Sector *66Neutral$17.65B18.105.60%3.62%6.62%11.55%

* Utilities Sector Average

Performance Comparison

-10%0%10%SPHCPKSRSWXUGIOGSDec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
SPH and its peers over the selected period
Show on chartTickerCompany NamePriceChange% Change
SPHSuburban Propane Partners17.61-0.14-0.81%
CPKChesapeake Utilities140.679.737.43%
SRSpire Inc88.272.583.01%
SWXSouthwest Gas92.6713.5617.15%
UGIUGI Corp37.523.9611.79%
OGSONE Gas Inc82.373.023.80%

Suburban Propane Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyDividends

Suburban Propane Raises Quarterly Cash Distribution to Unitholders

Positive
Oct 22, 2026

On October 22, 2026, Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. announced that its Board of Supervisors increased the quarterly cash distribution on common units for the fiscal fourth quarter, raising it from $0.325 to $0.35 per unit for the three months ended...

Business Operations and StrategyFinancial Disclosures

Suburban Propane to Review Fiscal 2026 Results

Neutral
Oct 21, 2026

Suburban Propane Partners, L.P., a major U.S. distributor of propane, renewable fuels and related energy services, said it will hold a conference call to discuss its fiscal 2026 full‑year and fourth‑quarter results. The master limited partnership, ba...

DividendsRegulatory Filings and Compliance

Suburban Propane Declares Quarterly Distribution for Unitholders

Positive
Jul 23, 2026

On July 23, 2026, Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. announced that its Board of Supervisors declared a quarterly distribution of $0.325 per common unit for the fiscal third quarter ended June 27, 2026, equivalent to an annualized rate of $1.30 per comm...

Business Operations and StrategyFinancial Disclosures

Suburban Propane Schedules Fiscal Q3 2026 Earnings Call

Neutral
Jul 22, 2026

On July 22, 2026, Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. announced it had scheduled its fiscal 2026 third quarter results conference call for Thursday, August 6, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Analysts, investors and other interested parties were invited t...

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.

Date of analysis: Oct 22, 2026