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Suburban Propane Partners, L.P.

SPH
64
Regulated Gas · Utilities
Price
$18.12
-0.24 (-1.31%)
Market Cap
$1.20B
Winston Score
64
Winston is curious
A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.

Share count rising — dilution

+3.6% over 4y

The company has issued more shares over this period, which dilutes each existing shareholder’s stake.

Diluted shares outstanding: 63.3M (2021) → 65.6M (2025)

Suburban Propane Partners delivers propane gas to homes and businesses across the United States. Propane is used mainly for heating, cooking, and powering equipment in areas that do not have access to natural gas pipelines. The company serves roughly 800,000 customers and is one of the largest retail propane distributors in the country.

Suburban Propane makes money by buying propane in bulk and selling it to customers at a markup, typically through delivery contracts and recurring service agreements. It operates in more than 40 states, with a strong presence in the Northeast and rural markets where pipeline gas is not available. The company is structured as a master limited partnership, meaning it pays out most of its earnings to investors as distributions. The biggest risk it faces is warm winters, since lower heating demand directly reduces how much propane customers buy, making revenue highly dependent on weather patterns each year.

Winston Score History

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

-6.2% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Revenue declining

EPS Growth

-1.9% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (1%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

3.0%ownership

Flat

Insiders holding steady — not selling despite ability to

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$4M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Revenue declining

Suburban Propane Partners, L.P.'s revenue is actually shrinking. In a growth stock, that removes the core investment thesis. The low Winston Score here may be warranted — unless there's a turnaround story.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

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Quality

Gross Margin
34.3%
Modest — 34.3% gross margin
Operating Margin
28.9%
Excellent — 28.9% operating margin
ROCE
18.8%
Strong — 18.8% return on capital

ROIC between 15% and 25%. Every dollar invested in the business earns 15 to 25 cents back per year.

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Growth

Sales YoY
+20.9%
Fast-growing sales (20.9% YoY)
EPS YoY
+134.2%
Earnings growing fast (134.2% YoY)

Earnings growing 25%+ a year. The compounder zone.

EPS Consistency
4/8 quarters
Earnings inconsistent quarter-to-quarter

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Cash Flow

Cash Conversion
131%
Turns 131% of profit into real cash
FCF Margin
13.7%
Converts sales into free cash efficiently (13.7%)

FCF margin between 10% and 20%. Every $100 in sales becomes $10 to $20 in real cash.

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Stability

Debt / Equity
0.14
Conservative — low debt load (0.14)
Interest Cover
4.01x
Adequate interest coverage (4.0x)

Interest coverage between 3 and 8. Profits cover interest several times over.

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Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)
5.3x
Attractive valuation — P/E 5.3

P/E under 10. The price tag is small relative to last year's profit.

P/E vs Forward
-3.6
SLOWING
Earnings expected to fall — forward P/E higher than today

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Dividends

Dividend Yield
7.42%
Healthy income — 7.42% yield

Yield above 6% — often a flag the market is pricing in a cut.

Dividend Growth
+0.0%
Dividend flat

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