Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (KMP), NuStar Energy L.P. (NS) – Hot or Not: Q2 Midstream Earnings Roundup

Second-quarter midstream earnings have finally started to trickle in, as energy giants Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (NYSE:KMP) and TransCanada Corporation (USA) (NYSE:TRP) have reported, as well as a couple of smaller outfits, EQT Corporation (NYSE:EQT) Midstream Partners and NuStar Energy L.P. (NYSE:NS). The industry is off to a great start, and the week was made even more impressive by a spectacular midstream IPO. More on that later, but first the earnings recap.

Q2 Earnings round-up
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (NYSE:KMP) kicked off second-quarter reporting for the midstream industry 10 days ago, posting some knockout numbers. Much of the growth at Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (NYSE:KMP) was driven by its recent acquisition of Copano Energy, as well as dropdowns from its 2012 acquisition of El Paso. Four out of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (NYSE:KMP)’s five business segments posted year-over-year growth, and all of the Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (NYSE:KMP) entities increased their distributions to investors.

TransCanada Corporation (USA) (NYSE:TRP) reported on Friday, and investors were either disappointed or delighted, depending on how high they set their expectations. The company missed analyst estimates but increased revenue and earnings per share on a year-over-year basis. Two of its three business segments posted growth compared with the second quarter last year, including its energy segment, which nearly doubled.

NuStar Energy L.P. (NYSE:NS) executed a 180-degree turnaround from the second quarter of 2012. The partnership posted EBITDA of $112.8 million, compared with a loss of $161.4 million a year ago. As a result, distributable cash flow increased from $31.5 million last year to $55.1 million this year. Much of the downside to the 2012 numbers came at the hands of asset impairment charges related to business restructuring, as the partnership moved to limit its exposure to margin-based revenue. The Eagle Ford shale drove organic growth at NuStar Energy L.P. (NYSE:NS) for the quarter, which is more or less an industry trend right now.