The takeaway
Plains All American Pipeline LP shows a slight seasonal lean over 10 years of data — strongest in February (−0.2%) and softest in September (−2.1%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 70% of years, averaging +1.2%, roughly 0.9 pts behind the S&P 500.
The full picture
Plains All American Pipeline LP's most dependable month has been February, higher in 8 of 10 years; September has been its least reliable, up just 20% of the time.
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Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in April (+6.1 pts); it has trailed the market most in March (−6.7 pts).
“vs S&P” is Plains All American Pipeline LP’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Plains All American Pipeline LP’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, February has closed higher 80% of the time versus 80% across the last 10 years — the pattern is holding.
Figures are the typical (median) February return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
The seasonal story is really one month's story — February. It has closed higher in 8 of 10 Februaries, a concentration the rest of the calendar can't touch.
The strength looks broad-based rather than freakish: its average (−0.2%) and median (+1.0%) sit close together, so no single blow-out year is flattering the figure. Few months are steadier: February's returns vary by just 6.7% year to year. Set against the S&P 500, mind, February is close to a wash — the gain mirrors the market more than it beats it. It is the more striking for the company it keeps — February is a losing month for most of the market, where barely 49% of names gain ground.
February anchors a run, too: the January-through-March window has been the stock's reliable season. On the other side of the ledger, September has been the soft spot — the weakest of 5 months that average a loss (−2.1%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in March, August, and December. Its roughest month on record was a −63.0% March in 2020 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
Reassuringly, the tendency has held its shape: the recent five years still track the years behind them.
For a stock this dependable in February, the sharper question is the rest of the year — outside its strong stretch, the calendar gives far less to lean on.
Short answers on the stock's best month (February), its worst (September), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Only mildly. The stock's months are fairly even — February is the firmest (−0.2%) and September the softest (−2.1%), a narrow spread that points to weak seasonality rather than a strong calendar effect.
February has been the strongest, averaging −0.2% and closing higher in 8 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −2.1% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade