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Plains All American (PAA)
NASDAQ:PAA
US Market

Plains All American (PAA) AI Stock Analysis

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PAA

Plains All American

(NASDAQ:PAA)

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Outperform 78 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:78Outperform
Price Target:
$22.00
▲(5.31% Upside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:02/07/26
The score is driven primarily by strong and improving cash flow with supportive 2026 guidance (EBITDA and ~$1.8B free cash flow) and identifiable cost/synergy benefits. Technicals are favorable with a clear uptrend and positive momentum indicators. Valuation is also supportive with a reasonable P/E and high yield, partially offset by thin margins and still-meaningful leverage.
Positive Factors
Cash generation
Consistently strong operating and free cash flow provides durable internal funding for maintenance and growth capex, debt paydown, and distributions. Over a 2–6 month horizon this cash generation underpins capital allocation flexibility and reduces dependence on external financing during commodity cycles.
Constructive guidance & cost program
Management's explicit 2026 guidance, large free cash flow target, and a defined $100M efficiency plan create measurable levers to lift margins and cash conversion. These recurring savings and clear targets support sustainable distributable cash flow and improve resilience to midstream margin pressure.
Strategic portfolio shift & synergies
Refocusing to a crude-centric midstream franchise and capturing Cactus III synergies improves revenue quality and operating scale. Proceeds from the NGL sale earmarked for debt reduction should lower leverage and make cash flows more predictable over the medium term, strengthening the core business.
Negative Factors
Elevated leverage
Although leverage has improved from peak levels, the partnership remains materially levered for a midstream operator. Elevated leverage constrains financial flexibility, increases interest expense sensitivity, and raises refinancing and covenant risk if commodity or cash flow stress occurs over the next several months.
Thin profitability and revenue pressure
Structurally thin margins and recent revenue decline leave earnings highly sensitive to volume, recontracting, and oil-price swings. With modest margin cushions, operational or market setbacks could quickly compress distributable cash flow and limit the ability to sustain payouts without further leverage actions.
Recontracting & weaker coverage buffer
Rate recontracting on long-haul systems signals structural margin pressure on legacy contracts. Coupled with a reduced distribution coverage threshold, the partnership has a narrower cushion for distributions, increasing payout vulnerability during macro slowdowns or further margin erosion over the medium term.

Plains All American (PAA) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Plains All American Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionPlains All American Pipeline, L.P., through its subsidiaries, engages in the pipeline transportation, terminalling, storage, and gathering of crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) in the United States and Canada. The company operates in two segments, Crude Oil and NGL. The Crude Oil segment offers gathering and transporting crude oil through pipelines, gathering systems, trucks, and at times on barges or railcars. This segment provides terminalling, storage, and other facilities-related services, as well as merchant activities. As of December 31, 2021, this segment owned and leased 18,300 miles of active crude oil transportation pipelines and gathering systems, as well as an additional 110 miles of pipelines that supports crude oil storage and terminalling facilities; 74 million barrels of commercial crude oil storage capacity; 38 million barrels of active, above-ground tank capacity; four marine facilities; a condensate processing facility; seven crude oil rail terminals and 2,100 crude oil railcars; and 640 trucks and 1,275 trailers. The Natural Gas Liquids segment engages in the natural gas processing, NGL fractionation, storage, transportation, and terminalling activities. As of December 31, 2021, this segment owned and operated four natural gas processing plants; nine fractionation plants; 28 million barrels of NGL storage capacity; approximately 1,620 miles of active NGL transportation pipelines, as well as an additional 55 miles of pipeline that supports NGL storage facilities; 16 NGL rail terminals and approximately 3,900 NGL rail cars; and approximately 220 trailers. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. operates as a subsidiary of Plains GP Holdings, L.P.
How the Company Makes MoneyPlains All American generates revenue through multiple streams, primarily from the transportation and storage of crude oil and refined products via its extensive pipeline network. The company charges fees based on the volume of oil transported through its pipelines, and it also earns revenue from storage services provided at its terminals. Additionally, the Supply and Logistics segment contributes to earnings by purchasing crude oil and selling it to refiners and other customers, often leveraging price differentials in various markets. Significant partnerships with oil producers and refiners enhance PAA's ability to secure long-term contracts, thus providing stable revenue. The company also benefits from its scale and operational efficiency, allowing it to maintain competitive pricing and optimize its logistics operations.

Plains All American Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Feb 06, 2026
(Q4-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:May 01, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call emphasized strategic progress toward a pure-play crude business, highlighted strong cash flow generation, a meaningful distribution increase, targeted cost savings ($100 million by 2027), and immediate synergies from the Cactus III acquisition. Management provided constructive 2026 guidance (adjusted EBITDA midpoint $2.75B) and signaled disciplined capital allocation (normalized growth CapEx $300–$400M). Key near-term challenges include macro headwinds (geopolitical and OPEC supply), modest headline EBITDA pressure from the NGL divestiture, recontracting impacts on long-haul margins, and weather-related short-term production disruptions. Overall, positives (cash flow, distribution increase, synergies, cost-savings program, balance-sheet actions) materially outweigh the manageable lowlights.
Q4-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Strong Quarterly and Annual Adjusted EBITDA
Reported Q4 adjusted EBITDA attributable to Plains of $738 million and full-year adjusted EBITDA of $2.833 billion, demonstrating solid underlying earnings going into 2026.
2026 Adjusted EBITDA Guidance and Oil Segment Growth
Provided 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance of $2.75 billion (midpoint ± $75 million). Oil-segment EBITDA midpoint of $2.64 billion implies ~13% year-over-year growth in the crude segment.
Material Free Cash Flow and DCF Outlook
Expect approximately $1.8 billion of adjusted free cash flow in 2026 (excluding changes in working capital and NGL sale proceeds). Distributable cash flow is expected to increase ~1% despite a slight headline EBITDA decline from the NGL divestiture.
Distribution Increase and Yield
Announced a 10% increase in the quarterly distribution (payable Feb 13) equating to a $0.15 per unit annual increase, bringing the annual distribution to $1.67 per unit and representing an ~8.5% yield on the recent PAA equity price.
NGL Divestiture and Capital Deployment
Accelerating transition to a pure-play crude company via pending NGL divestiture (expected near end of Q1 pending Canadian approval) and the acquisition of EPIC/Cactus III; expect majority of NGL sale proceeds to be used to reduce debt after closing.
Cactus III Acquisition Synergies
Disclosed $50 million of expected annual synergies from the Cactus III acquisition; ~50% of those synergies were realized in Q4 (primarily G&A/OpEx reductions) with management expecting run-rate achievement during Q1 and full realization this year.
Efficiency Targets and Cost Savings
Targeting $100 million of identified annual savings through 2027 with ~50% (~$50 million) expected to be realized in 2026 via G&A/OpEx reductions, consolidations, and exiting/optimizing lower-margin businesses.
Capital Allocation and Reduced CapEx
Guidance for 2026 capital: ~$350 million growth CapEx and ~$165 million maintenance CapEx net to PAA (bringing growth CapEx into a normalized $300–$400 million run rate). Management expects meaningful reduction in gross spending versus 2025.
Balance Sheet Actions and Debt Management
Completed issuance of $750 million senior unsecured notes ($300M 2031 at 4.7%, $450M 2036 at 5.6%) and refinanced the $1.1 billion EPIC term loan; invested $2.9 billion to acquire Cactus III and expect leverage to trend toward mid-point of target 3.25–3.75x after NGL sale proceeds are applied to debt.
Operational and Safety Performance
Achieved the company's best-ever safety performance measured by the lowest TRIR safety rate and lowest severity of injuries measured by total lost workdays.
Negative Updates
Market Headwinds and Macro Uncertainty
Management cited multiple 2025 challenges including geopolitical unrest, OPEC actions to increase oil supply, and tariff uncertainties — headwinds that pressured the market environment and required strategic responses.
Headline EBITDA Impact from NGL Divestiture
While the NGL divestiture improves long-term cash flow quality, management expects a slight decline in headline EBITDA from the divestiture (offset in part by improved distributable cash flow).
NGL Segment Pressures
Q4 NGL adjusted EBITDA of $122 million was moderated by warm weather impacts on sales volumes and relatively weak frac spreads, illustrating the segment's sensitivity to seasonal and market conditions.
Recontracting Pressure on Long-Haul Margins
Q4 crude EBITDA included negative impacts from recontracting on long-haul systems; management noted recontracting reduced rates on some routes and partially offset acquisition contributions.
Short-Term Weather-Related Production Disruption
Recent storms/freezes caused a 7–10 day production disruption with the basin losing an estimated 10–12 million barrels over that period (with crude and NGLs roughly half that); recovery has occurred and the effect was included in guidance.
Distribution Coverage Threshold Reduced
Management modestly lowered the distribution coverage ratio threshold from 160% to 150%—a move framed as prudent and peer-consistent but that reduces the margin of safety compared with prior policy.
Company Guidance
Plains guided 2026 adjusted EBITDA net to Plains of $2.75 billion at the midpoint (±$75 million), with oil‑segment EBITDA midpoint of $2.64 billion (implying ~13% Y/Y crude growth), including an assumed $100 million of NGL EBITDA (if the NGL divestiture closes near end‑Q1) and $10 million of other income; Permian/basin volumes are expected to be roughly flat in 2026 with overall basin volumes about 6.6 million bpd at year‑end. Management expects growth CapEx of ~ $350 million and maintenance CapEx of ~ $165 million (net to PAA), about $1.8 billion of adjusted free cash flow (ex‑working capital changes and NGL sale proceeds), $100 million of annual run‑rate cost savings by 2027 (≈$50 million in 2026) plus roughly $50 million of Cactus III synergies on run‑rate this year, and a modest reduction in the distribution coverage threshold from 160% to 150% while targeting $0.15 per‑unit annualized distribution growth (quarterly distribution was increased 10%, bringing annual distribution to $1.67/unit, ~8.5% yield); they also expect a special distribution of $0.15/unit or less, plan to use NGL proceeds largely to pay down debt, and expect post‑close leverage to trend toward the middle of a 3.25–3.75x target range.

Plains All American Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Strong cash generation is the core positive (TTM operating cash flow ~$2.9B and free cash flow ~$2.4B, up ~10%). Profitability is solid versus 2024 but structurally thin (roughly ~6% EBITDA margin and ~2% net margin) with TTM revenue down ~5%. Leverage is improving but remains meaningful, limiting flexibility.
Income Statement
72
Positive
Profitability is solid in TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months), with margins holding up (about 6% EBITDA margin and ~2% net margin) and earnings materially higher than 2024. However, revenue has slipped in TTM (down ~5% versus the prior year) and profitability remains structurally thin, which leaves results sensitive to volume/price/mix. The longer view shows a clear recovery from the 2020 loss, but year-to-year revenue and margin volatility is still evident.
Balance Sheet
64
Positive
Leverage looks elevated but improving versus earlier years: debt relative to equity has trended down from above 1.0x in 2020 to below 1.0x recently, and returns on equity are healthy in TTM (roughly 12%). That said, the capital structure is still meaningfully levered for a midstream business, which can limit flexibility if market conditions weaken.
Cash Flow
78
Positive
Cash generation is a clear strength: TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months) operating cash flow and free cash flow are strong (about $2.9B and $2.4B, respectively), with free cash flow up ~10% versus the prior period. Free cash flow is also consistently sizable relative to reported earnings across years, supporting debt reduction and shareholder returns. The main watch-out is that operating cash flow covers only about half of total debt on the provided coverage metric, indicating leverage still matters despite strong cash flow.
BreakdownDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue44.26B50.07B48.71B57.34B42.08B
Gross Profit2.67B1.72B2.76B1.89B1.74B
EBITDA2.33B2.74B3.06B2.79B1.92B
Net Income1.44B772.00M1.23B1.04B593.00M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets30.17B26.56B27.36B27.89B28.61B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments4.73B348.00M450.00M401.00M449.00M
Total Debt11.30B7.93B8.03B8.82B9.64B
Total Liabilities17.09B13.47B13.62B14.57B15.80B
Stockholders Equity9.84B9.81B10.42B10.06B9.97B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow0.001.87B2.17B1.95B1.66B
Operating Cash Flow2.94B2.49B2.73B2.41B2.00B
Investing Cash Flow-3.77B-1.50B-702.00M-526.00M386.00M
Financing Cash Flow799.00M-1.08B-1.98B-1.93B-1.98B

Plains All American Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price20.89
Price Trends
50DMA
18.55
Positive
100DMA
17.40
Positive
200DMA
17.07
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
0.59
Negative
RSI
79.26
Negative
STOCH
94.48
Negative
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For PAA, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 20.89 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 19.68, above the 50-day MA of 18.55, and above the 200-day MA of 17.07, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 0.59 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 79.26 is Negative, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 94.48 is Negative, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for PAA.

Plains All American Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (65)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
79
Outperform
$7.76B13.078.45%10.78%19.10%
78
Outperform
$14.51B12.3912.03%8.54%-7.53%9.74%
75
Outperform
$13.57B33.849.42%2.70%20.39%-3.85%
74
Outperform
$17.91B14.7531.82%9.13%5.81%-13.58%
69
Neutral
$16.04B18.478.10%6.08%38.38%3.35%
66
Neutral
$16.72B19.678.61%8.03%-7.53%11.27%
65
Neutral
$15.17B7.614.09%5.20%3.87%-62.32%
* Energy Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
PAA
Plains All American
20.89
2.28
12.27%
WES
Western Midstream Partners
41.10
4.21
11.42%
PAGP
Plains GP Holdings
22.27
2.51
12.69%
VNOM
Viper Energy
45.64
0.99
2.22%
HESM
Hess Midstream Partners
37.89
0.52
1.39%
DTM
DT Midstream
136.06
42.01
44.67%

Plains All American Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyDividendsFinancial DisclosuresM&A Transactions
Plains All American Posts Strong 2025 Results, Lifts Payout
Positive
Feb 6, 2026

On February 6, 2026, Plains All American reported strong fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results, with net income attributable to PAA of $342 million for the quarter and $1.435 billion for the year, and adjusted EBITDA of $738 million and $2.833 billion, respectively, alongside an 18% year-over-year increase in operating cash flow to $2.94 billion. The partnership ended 2025 with a pro forma leverage ratio of 3.9x after refinancing and funding its EPIC (now Cactus III) acquisition, and set 2026 guidance around a midpoint of $2.75 billion in adjusted EBITDA and approximately $1.8 billion in adjusted free cash flow, supported by $100 million in planned efficiency gains through 2027 and $50 million of expected Cactus III synergies. Plains also raised its annualized distribution by $0.15 per unit effective with the February 13, 2026 payment and lowered its distribution coverage threshold from 160% to 150%, signaling confidence in more predictable cash flows and a multi-year runway for further capital returns, while advancing a strategic shift toward a streamlined crude oil midstream portfolio through the planned sale of its Canadian NGL business to Keyera Corp., which has been classified as discontinued operations ahead of an anticipated closing toward the end of the first quarter of 2026.

The most recent analyst rating on (PAA) stock is a Buy with a $21.50 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Plains All American stock, see the PAA Stock Forecast page.

Business Operations and StrategyM&A TransactionsPrivate Placements and Financing
Plains All American Secures $1.1 Billion Term Loan
Positive
Dec 3, 2025

On October 31, 2025, Plains All American Pipeline acquired EPIC Crude Holdings, including its crude oil pipeline operations, and subsequently terminated EPIC’s credit agreement by repaying all outstanding amounts by December 1, 2025. Following this, Plains All American entered into a new $1.1 billion term loan agreement on November 26, 2025, with PNC Bank, featuring terms that allow prepayment and include customary covenants and financial conditions. This strategic financial restructuring is aligned with the company’s operational focus and may impact its financial flexibility and stakeholder relations.

The most recent analyst rating on (PAA) stock is a Hold with a $20.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Plains All American stock, see the PAA Stock Forecast page.

Private Placements and Financing
Plains All American Completes $750M Debt Offering
Neutral
Nov 14, 2025

On November 14, 2025, Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. and PAA Finance Corp. completed a public offering of $750 million in debt securities, comprising $300 million of 4.700% Senior Notes due 2031 and $450 million of 5.600% Senior Notes due 2036. These notes are additional issuances to those initially issued on September 8, 2025, and will mature in 2031 and 2036, respectively. The offering aims to strengthen PAA’s financial position by increasing the total outstanding principal amount of these notes to $1 billion each. The notes are senior unsecured obligations, ranking equally with existing senior debt and are subject to certain covenants and events of default as outlined in the indenture agreements.

The most recent analyst rating on (PAA) stock is a Buy with a $18.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Plains All American stock, see the PAA Stock Forecast page.

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: Feb 07, 2026