Energy companies looking for capital to grow their operations should consider an alternative structure to monetize their assets without surrendering operational control. One common legal structure, the master limited partnership (MLP), meets the needs of many operators but is not their only alternative, an investment banker said recently.

The Real Estate Investment Trust, commonly called a REIT, is an alternative legal structure that provides many of the same benefits as the MLP, said Nicholas Stuart, vice president of oil and investment banking at KeyBanc Capital Markets. Speaking at an industry ...