So far in 2021, oil and gas stocks are far and away the stock market’s top- performing sector. In fact, capital gains alone for the S&P Energy Sector Index and Alerian MLP Index are more than four times the total return on the S&P 500.

Like the previous two, this issue of Energy and Income Advisor focuses on energy companies’ Q1 results and guidance updates. And what we saw is very much a potential driver for more gains this year in the best in class energy stocks we’ve been recommending.

Not only are companies reporting continuing improvement in industry fundamentals. But their numbers—particularly solid dividend coverage and rising levels of free cash flow after distributions—demonstrate management has adapted business plans and financial strategies to the current stage of the energy cycle.

By Q4 2021, total utilization of the largest oil pipelines in the Permian Basin will drop to 57 percent. That’s according to a recent survey from industry research firm Wood MacKenzie.

Some level of spare capacity is necessary for a functioning midstream system, to accommodate demand spikes and the fact that pipelines and related infrastructure must be periodically sidelined for maintenance. The current level, however, is quite elevated, basically for two reasons.

First, based on announced plans of producers for this year, US crude oil output is expected to drop well below the pre-pandemic level of 13 million or so barrels per day. Second, a sizeable amount of new shipping capacity came on line at the end of the previous decade to accommodate expected increases in shale output. That includes natural gas pipelines built to ship associated natural gas produced from oil wells, much of which historically has been flared.