Better Buy: Alliance Resource Partners LP vs. CONSOL Energy
Between them, CONSOL Energy (NYSE: CNX) and Alliance Resource Partners LP (NASDAQ: ARLP) have solid histories in the coal sector. But their responses to thermal coal’s cloudy future have been sharply different. Both strategies have their merits, too — so picking which one is better for your portfolio will mean first deciding what kind of energy-sector exposure you’re interested in, and what sort of time horizon you’re looking toward.
CONSOL Energy was once one of the largest coal miners in the United States. But then it parted ways its peers in an aggressive move to follow its key customers -- electric utilities -- in their ongoing shift away from coal and toward lower-priced, less-polluting natural gas. It's a power industry trend that isn't going to reverse itself because so many coal-powered plants have already been replaced with natural gas plants.
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Source: Fool.com