November 2021: Propane tank rental and use fees

Each month, LP Gas provides updates on the U.S. propane market, as well as the latest trends. The data for November 2021 focuses on propane tank rental and use fees as reported by Gray, Gray & Gray’s 2021 propane industry survey.

Stock information for Ferrellgas and Suburban Propane is also provided.

PROPANE MARKET METRICS

Source: Gray, Gray & Gray’s 2021 propane industry survey

Tank management: A sound fee structure and asset management plan can help propane retailers deal with high steel prices and long lead times for tanks in today’s market, according to Marty Kirshner, partner and chair of the energy practice group at Gray, Gray & Gray. When retailers lose a customer, he explains, they’ve lost not only gallon sales but a rental fee on a tank asset that’s sitting idle. He suggests having a plan in place to pick up the tank promptly and repurpose it: “That asset in today’s world is worth a lot more than it was a couple of years ago,” he says. Data on rental and minimal use fees represents the year April 2020 through March 2021. For more data about tank management, see the full results of Gray, Gray & Gray’s 2021 propane industry survey at gggllp.com.

STOCK WATCH

Company	12-month chart (as of October ’21)	Price (10/18/21)	Current Yield	52-Week Low	52-Week High	YTD Price Performance
Ferrellgas – FGPR		$24.70	N/A	10.00	25.34	53.4%
Suburban Propane – SPH		15.97	8.2%	14.06	18.18	7.5%

Source: Company data, FactSet and Wells Fargo Securities LLC (SPH); Yahoo Finance (FGPR)

Note: Ferrellgas was relisted as FGPR, trading on OTC Markets, on 4/5/2021 due to corporate action.

Featured photo: monsitj/iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images