NuStar Energy (NS)

NuStar Guidance: More Conservative than Texas

NuStar (NS) reported positive 4Q22 earnings, beating consensus and East Daley EBITDA expectations by $15 million (8%) and $17 million (10%), respectively. However, what caught our eye was a miss on the company's Permian crude gathering volumes and relatively weak 2023 guidance for the asset.

In 2022, NuStar’s Permian system averaged 584 Mb/d, below management's 600 Mb/d exit-2022 guidance. Management now guides to volumes exiting 2023 at 600 Mb/d, or just 3% growth Y-o-Y. East Daley forecasts crude volumes and performance for the NS – Permian asset in our NuStar Financial Blueprint. We forecast exit-2023 volumes to be 615 Mb/d, or 5.3% growth Y-o-Y on the system.