Atlas Has a Direct Pipeline to Nat-Gas Growth

Editor's note: This was originally published on RealMoney. It is being republished as a bonus for TheStreet.com readers.

Earlier this month, I had the chance to attend the Value Investing Congress in New York. Over the course of several days, I was exposed to a lot of great ideas. One in particular has leaped to the forefront and has become one of my favorite stock ideas in the current market environment.

The idea came from investing legend Leon Cooperman of Omega Partners. He outlined his case for several master limited partnerships in the energy sector, as well as their parent companies. Of those several ideas, one stood out for me. Atlas Pipeline Partners(APL Quote) has moved up in price since that presentation but still seems like an outstanding buy at these levels.

The company owns an extensive system of natural gas collection centers and pipelines. The company has 1,600 miles of gas gathering and transmission centers in eastern Ohio, western New York, and western Pennsylvania, including several in the key shale areas such as the Marcellus Shale. These shale areas run throughout the Appalachian region of the U.S. and are expected to be key sources of natural gas. The company also has a 565-mile pipeline from Oklahoma through Arkansas and into Missouri. In the Southwest, Atlas has 7,870 miles of systems.

In the Appalachian area, the company collects gas from its sister company, Atlas Energy Resources(ATN Quote), and from other companies. Currently, it is connected to over 5,000 natural gas wells in the region, and it is adding 800 new wells on an annual basis. The pipeline services the Fayetteville shale region, one of the fastest-growing gas shale areas in the country. The company is expanding capacity in the region and has proposed extending the pipeline into Tennessee.

Volumes are growing for Atlas. Gas throughput in the Appalachian region grew by 28% form the first quarter to the end of the second. In the Ozarks it was up 25%, while total volumes in West Texas were up 5%. As a result of this strong performance, the company's distributable cash flow grew by 6%. The cash flow to shareholders is a key part of what makes Atlas Pipeline so attractive.