Alex Chamberlin
Disclosure: I am in full compliance with all ethics and other policies for Market Realist research analysts. I am not invested in securities that I cover on Market Realist.
More From Alex Chamberlin

January 2017 EIA Estimates: US Shale Gas Production Could Fall
The EIA expects less natural gas production at four key US shales by January 2017 compared to November 2016. It expects production to rise at three key US shales.
Must-know: Why onshore rig counts are at a 2-year high
The U.S. onshore, or land-based, rig count increased by four rigs—from 1,865 to 1,869—during the week ending September 19. Land-based rigs include 13 inland water rigs. This is the highest onshore rig count in the past two years. It’s the highest rig count since August 17, 2012. This marks the eighth increase in the past ten weeks.

Inside Schlumberger’s 1-Year Returns as of June 16
Schlumberger’s trailing-one-year stock price has fallen 12% as of June 16, 2017, while XLE, the broader energy industry ETF, has fallen 3%.

Permian Basin activity: A key indicator of energy sector health
This was the seventh straight weekly decline in the Permian Basin oil rig count. Overall, the weekly US crude oil rig count was down 4%.

Analyzing National Oilwell Varco’s Free Cash Flow
National Oilwell Varco’s cash from operating activities (or CFO) rose by more than four times in 1Q16 compared to 1Q15.

Why next quarter looks better for BHI’s international markets
In Latin America, BHI expects year-end product sales to increase. It also expects the offshore Mexico rig activity to increase.

WFT, FMSA, and SPN: Returns and Outlook after 3Q17
WFT, SPN, and FMSA have significantly underperformed the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), which has produced 23.0% returns since November 3, 2016.
Why improvement in Libya pushed down the crude price last week
For most of the last two years, WTI crude oil has been range-bound between ~$85 per barrel and ~$110 per barrel.

Did Weatherford Stock Fall in the Week to October 6?
Since the week ending September 29, 2017, Weatherford International stock has fallen 7% until October 6, 2017. OIH has generated -2% returns.

In-Depth: US Crude Oil Rig Count Rose after Ten Weeks
Baker Hughes reported that the weekly US crude oil rig count rose by two rigs—from 572 to 574—in the week ended November 13, the first rise in a while.

Analyzing National Oilwell Varco’s Growth Drivers
Let’s discuss National Oilwell Varco’s growth drivers. The fall of the Wellbore Technology segment’s operating income was restricted by expense reduction.

SLB, HAL, NOV, and BHGE: Comparing the Capex Growth
National Oilwell Varco’s (NOV) capital expenditure or capex fell ~32% in fiscal 2017—compared to its capex spend in fiscal 2016.

Why Halliburton’s Free Cash Has Been Plummeting
As a result of steeply falling CFO, Halliburton’s free cash flow deteriorated to a negative $499 million in 3Q15 from a negative $71 million a year ago.

Will a Partnership with GE Improve BHI’s Returns?
Between December 2014 and December 2016, Baker Hughes (BHI) stock hit its peak in April 2015. It troughed at ~$39 in January 2016.
Marcellus Shale: Why it’s key for US natural gas
Natural gas prices in the northeastern US have increasingly been below the Henry Hub price. This is primarily because of the Northeast’s increased access to Marcellus natural gas production.

EIA Projections for December 2015: Key US Shale Natural Gas Production
The EIA expects less natural gas production at four key US shales by December compared to October, but it expects production to rise at three key shales.

SEC Asks Weatherford International to a Pay Penalty
On September 27, Weatherford International (WFT) disclosed that the SEC resolved the investigation into the company’s income tax–related accounting issues.

Why the Permian Basin is the key indicator for oil rig counts
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (or EIA), the Permian Basin is the largest crude oil–producing region in the US.

Horizontal Rigs Continued to Increase Last Week
According to oil service company Baker Hughes (BHI), the horizontal rig count was up by one rig in the week ended August 21, 2015.

Must-know: Why US rigs lost the most in 11 months
The U.S. total rig count decreased by 17 rigs—from 1,913 to 1,896—during the week ending August 22. This marked the first rig count decline in the past five weeks. The decline was also the largest since late September 2013.

Wall Street’s Forecasts for Transocean after 4Q15 Earnings
Now that Transocean has released its 4Q15 earnings, a whopping 56% of analysts have recommended a “sell.”

Snapshot: Valuing Williams Companies compared to its peers
Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) is the largest company by market capitalization and enterprise value, or EV, among its closest peers. By market cap, Williams Companies (WMB) follows next.

What Might Happen to Oil States’ Revenues in Q2 2018?
Oil States International (OIS) ranks fourth on our list of the top five revenue growing OFS companies, according to analysts.

Investors respond differently to upstream companies’ capex plans
In this environment of crude oil prices declining sharply and staying low, investors continue to favor stocks that are increasing investments.

Does Nabors Industries Expect Rig Count to Rise in the Near Term?
Nabor Industries’s Drilling & Rig Services segment accounted for nearly all of the company’s revenues in 2Q16.

What Schlumberger Expects for 2017
What are Schlumberger’s views on North America? Schlumberger (SLB) expects the North American onshore market to continue to improve in 2017. In Schlumberger’s 1Q17 earnings press release, chairman and CEO Paal Kibsgaard stated that “at present, the region in the world showing clear signs of increased E&P[1.exploration and production] investments in 2017 is North America […]

Schlumberger’s 1-Year Returns on August 11
Schlumberger’s (SLB) one-year stock price fell 21.0% as of August 11, 2017. In the past year, the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) has fallen 7.0%.

Schlumberger’s 1-Week Returns on September 22
Schlumberger’s (SLB) one-week returns were 2.0% as of September 22, 2017. Since September 15, the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) has risen 2.0%.

Wall Street Analysts’ Targets for SLB, HAL, NOV, and WFT
Approximately 90% of the analysts tracking Halliburton (HAL) recommended a “buy,” ~8% recommended a “hold,” and the rest recommended a “sell.”

Baker Hughes’s Management on Its 3Q16 Outlook
Baker Hughes’s (BHI) management believes that international upstream operations will continue to stay pressured.

Does a falling US rig count signal a trend?
Rig counts tell us how many rigs are actively drilling for oil and gas. They can be an indication of oil and gas producers’ confidence.

Texas rig count continues to lose ground
Economist Karr Ingham expects that two-thirds of the Texas rigs at work will be laid down. That’s about 600 rigs if the price of crude oil stays low.
Why investors can expect synergies from the combined assets
ETP’s interest in Sunoco Logistics (SXL) gives ETE acccess to SXL’s geographically diverse portfolio of complementary pipeline, terminalling, and acquisition and marketing assets.

US Offshore Rig Count Was Steady in the September 18 Week
In the week ending September 18, 2015, the US offshore rig count didn’t change. The offshore rig counts have averaged 33 over the past eight weeks.
Behind the scenes of the Halliburton-Baker Hughes merger
On October 13, Halliburton proposed to acquire Baker Hughes’ shares without prior notice. After receiving BHI’s counter proposal, Halliburton refused to increase its first value proposal.

Patterson-UTI Energy’s 4Q15 Earnings Beat Wall Street Estimates
Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN) released its 4Q15 financial results on February 4, 2016. The company recorded total revenues of $338.5 million in 4Q15, down 62% from $901.2 million recorded in 4Q14.

Is PDC Energy Trading at a Premium?
PDC Energy’s 2015 forward EV-EBITDA multiple is 6.6x. So the sharply lower forward multiple indicates that Wall Street expects PDCE’s EBITDA to improve sharply in 2H15.

Schlumberger’s Short Interest Has Fallen: What Does It Mean?
Short interest in Schlumberger (SLB) stock as a percentage of its float was ~1.2% on March 3, 2017, a marginal fall compared to December 30, 2016.
Must-know: Why coal producers are wary of the EPA’s proposal
Generally, natural gas burns more cleanly than coal. Coal has the highest carbon intensity among major fossil fuels.

Analyzing Schlumberger’s Stock Price Returns
From November 2013 to November 2016, Schlumberger’s (SLB) stock price was at its highest level in January 2014. It came close to that price in June 2014.

Horizontal Rig Count Falls for 19th Consecutive Week
By the end of March 2015, the horizontal rig count was up by ~125% compared to the number of rigs in January 2007.
Must-know: Atlas Pipeline’s first quarter earnings analysis
Atlas Pipeline Partners (APL) released its financial information for 1Q14 on May 5, 2014.

How Does Nabors Industries’ Valuation Compare to Its Peers?
Nabors Industries’ valuation, expressed as a TTM PE (price-to-earnings) multiple, isn’t available due to negative adjusted earnings.

How Is SLB’s Current Valuation Compared to Peers?
Schlumberger’s forward PE (price-to-earnings) multiple reflects analysts’ expectation of lower earnings in the next four quarters.
Why price differential and rail competition challenge Bakken
Although pipelines are the cost-effective way to transport crude oil, they require huge initial investment and are often impeded by regulations from the government agencies.

Schlumberger’s North American operations drove growth in 4Q14
Schlumberger recorded topline and bottom-line growth in its North American operations due to continued efficiency improvements and new technology.

Why horizontal and vertical rig counts are down sharply
Horizontal rig counts decreased by 35 from the previous week’s count. This was the seventh straight weekly fall. Currently, there are 1,301 horizontal rigs.
Must-know: Why natural gas storage figures matter to investors
Every week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (or EIA) reports figures on natural gas inventories, or the amount of natural gas stored in facilities across the U.S.

ExxonMobil: Wall Street analysts call it
Approximately 35% of Wall Street analysts tracking ExxonMobil (XOM) rate it a “buy.” Approximately 10% of the analysts recommend a “sell.”

BP’s Year-to-Date Net Income Crashed on Special Charges
After analyzing BP’s (BP) 2Q15 performance by segment, we’ll now discuss its year-to-date (or YTD) revenues and earnings.

Why Nabors Industries’ Stock Price Seems Bullish
Nabors Industries (NBR), one of the largest land-based drilling operators in the world, had a steady run in the stock market in 2016.

Does Nabors Industries’ Share Price Still Look Strong?
Nabors Industries (NBR), one of the largest land-based drilling operators in the world, has had a steady run in the stock market in 2016.

US crude oil rig count crashes to lowest since August 2011
Oilfield service company Baker Hughes’s (BHI) crude oil rig count decreased by 84 last week, from 1,140 to 1,056.

Why Is Schlumberger’s Stock Price Bullish?
In the past year, Schlumberger’s stock price trended up. Its revenues stayed steady in 3Q16 and 2Q16 after falling in the previous three quarters.
Why Brazil is a long-term commitment for Petrobras
Petrobras’ (PBR) oil and gas production from Brazil was more than 90% of its total upstream energy production. In 2013, ~96% of its total reserves were in Brazil.

What Drove TechnipFMC’s Second-Quarter Earnings?
In the second quarter, TechnipFMC recorded total revenues of ~$2.96 billion, down 23% from ~$3.85 billion in Q2 2017.
Why Genesis Energy and Buckeye Partners rely on Eagle Ford and the Permian
Genesis Energy L.P. (GEL) is a master limited partnership (or MLP) that operates in the midstream segment of the oil and gas industry in the Gulf Coast region of the United States.
Why Targa Resources’ segment operating margins changed in 1Q14
In 2013, the company processed an average of 780.1 million cubic feet per day of natural gas and produced an average of 91.9 thousand barrels per day of NGLs.

Which Oilfield Service Major Achieved Earnings Progress in 2017?
Halliburton (HAL) recorded a net loss of ~$463 million in 2017—a sharp improvement compared to a net loss of $5.73 billion in 2016.

Why Schlumberger Foresees a Slowdown in 2016
We’ve already discussed Schlumberger Limited’s (SLB) fiscal 1Q16 revenues and earnings. We’ll now look into its performance by segment in fiscal 1Q16.

Permian Basin activity signals changes to oil rig count
Rig counts in the Permian Basin can gauge drilling activities for upstream companies. The Permian Basin rig count is now at its lowest since May 2011.
The must-know relationship between oil rigs and crude prices
The previous parts of this series (parts 8 and 9) explained the counterintuitive relationship between low natural gas prices, falling rigs, and rising natural gas production. Oil rigs have a simpler relationship with crude oil prices and oil production.

Weatherford International’s Value Drivers in 1Q17
Weatherford International’s (WFT) Latin American revenue fell the most (21.0%) from 1Q16 to 1Q17.

Why Halliburton’s Free Cash Flow Is Remarkable
Halliburton’s 3Q16 FCF improved significantly over the previous year. Its CFO rose significantly due to increased rig utilization in North America.
Why Sunoco Logistics has significant plans for the Permian Basin
Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. (SXL) is a master limited partnership (or MLP). Its Crude Oil Pipelines segment transport 4,900 miles of crude oil, primarily in Oklahoma and Texas.

Why Halliburton’s Drilling and Evaluation segment did poorly in 4Q14
In 4Q14, revenues in the Drilling and Evaluation segment increased 6.5% to $3.29 billion from $3.09 billion recorded in 4Q13.
Must-know: The BPL segments that source from liquid-rich areas
Traditionally, the Merchant Services segment provides wholesale distributor service of refined petroleum products in the U.S. and the Caribbean.

Did EOG’s Performance Suffer in All Product Segments?
In 3Q15, EOG has continued to improve cost efficiency by reducing its primary cost heads including lease and well costs, measured on a per barrel of oil equivalent basis.

Why Schlumberger’s North American operations held ground
In 4Q14, Schlumberger’s revenues from its North American operations increased 18.5% to $4.32 billion.

What’s Weatherford Management Saying after Fiscal 4Q15 Earnings?
Weatherford International’s (WFT) management expects crude oil price to start stabilizing by the second half of 2016. It plans to keep reducing costs to manage the current uncertainty.

Must-know: Why the US total rig count increased last week
U.S. total rig count increases by six The U.S. total drilling rig count increased by six rigs, from 1,883 to 1,889, during the week ending August 1 according to Baker Hughes, which publishes rig counts every week. The number of oil rigs increased by 11, while the number of natural gas rigs decreased by five. […]
Must-know: Sunoco Logistics’ 1Q14 earnings
Sunoco Logistics Partners, L.P. (SXL) released its financial information for 1Q14 on May 6, 2014.

Schlumberger: Analyzing Wall Street Forecasts Post–Q3 Earnings
In this series, we’ve seen Schlumberger’s (SLB) stock has held up following its latest quarter earnings release. Now let’s look at what Wall Street forecasts.

The US offshore rig count increased last week
Last week, the offshore rig count increased by two to 60, which is close to its 4-year high of 66 that it reached on August 29, 2014.

Could Drop in Horizontal Rigs Indicate a Slowing US Shale Boom?
According to oil service company Baker Hughes (BHI), the horizontal rig count fell by seven in the week ended May 15, 2015, compared to the previous week’s count.

Who’s the energy company achiever, and who are the laggards?
Let’s see which energy company stands out as the most efficient in reducing debt loads and improving leverage ratios and which ones are laggards.

Must-know: Halliburton’s 3Q14 earnings beat estimates
Between 3Q12 and 3Q14, HAL’s adjusted earnings per share (or EPS) has increased 78%. HAL has drawn the attention of Wall Street analysts to review the results and give their recommendations and target price.

The US Gulf of Mexico Rig Count Falls through the Cracks
The Gulf of Mexico rig count was down by 11 rigs compared to the previous week, with 35 rigs for the week ending March 20, 2015.

Is the US Rig Count Fall Steadying?
The four-week average fall in the US rig count was at eight for the week ending November 25. Four-week averages offer a broader view of the rig counts.
Must-know overview: The geography of the Permian Basin
The Permian Basin spreads across a wide swath of western Texas and southern New Mexico. The name “Permian Basin” generally refers to a combination of the Delaware Basin and Midland Basin.

Why rising frac spreads are benefitting select MLP names
Last week, frac spreads traded up slightly, and over the medium term, frac spreads are up significantly. This is a positive catalyst for natural gas processors.

Best Oilfield Service Stocks for 4Q16: Earnings Growth
Wall Street analysts expect Flotek Industries (FTK) to register positive EBITDA (or earnings before interest, tax, depreciation & amortization) in 4Q16.

How Halliburton Beat 2Q16 Estimates Despite Revenue Declines
Halliburton (HAL) released its fiscal 2Q16 financial results on July 20, 2016. It recorded total revenues of $3.4 billion, a decline of 43% from $5.9 billion in fiscal 2Q15.

Midstream companies withstand falling energy prices, for now
Companies in the midstream sector don’t have direct exposure to falling energy prices. At least, not in the immediate term.

What Do Analysts Expect from Flotek’s 4Q16 Earnings?
In 4Q16, analysts expect Flotek Industries (FTK) to post an adjusted loss per share of ~$0.04.

Weatherford International’s Value Drivers in 2Q17
Revenues from Weatherford International’s (WFT) Latin American region fell the most by 18.5% from 2Q16 to 2Q17.
Why the Chemicals and Midstream segments outperformed in 2Q14
Phillips 66’s net income decreased ~10% to $863 million in 2Q14—from $958 million in 2Q13. Despite the decrease, the Midstream and Chemicals segments’ share in the net income increased to 11% and 33% in 2Q14.

Analysts’ Forecast for Marathon Oil after Its 2Q15 Earnings
Wall Street analysts gave target prices for Marathon Oil after its 2Q15 financial results. Evercore ISI gave Marathon Oil a target price of $23.
Horizontal rig count tapers off after attaining historic high
Horizontal rig counts had been setting and breaking new records before last week’s fall, which marked the third decrease in the past 16 weeks.

Halliburton’s Share Price Drops after Fiscal 4Q15 Earnings Release
Halliburton’s share price reacted negatively after its fiscal 4Q15 earnings release, falling by 3.9% to $29.28 on the day compared to the day before.

Wall Street’s Forecasts for Halliburton before Its 3Q15 Earnings
Wall Street’s forecasts for Halliburton include ~76% of analysts rating the company as a “buy” or some equivalent.

How Schlumberger Reacted to Crude Oil’s Moves Last Week
In the week ending July 27, Schlumberger’s (SLB) correlation with crude oil was 0.48.

Analyzing National Oilwell Varco’s Net Debt after 1Q17
National Oilwell Varco’s (NOV) net debt increased 4% in 1Q17 over 1Q16. Its net debt amounted to ~$1.7 billion in 1Q17.

How the Market Reacted to DOJ Approval of GE-BHI Merger
On June 13, BHI’s stock price rose 2% over its previous day’s close. GE’s stock price reaction was lukewarm with a fall 2% on June 13.

Short Interest in Weatherford International on August 4
As of August 4, 2017, Weatherford International’s (WFT) short interest as a percentage of its float was 15.8%—unchanged compared to June 30, 2017.

Correlation between Crude Oil and Halliburton on September 5
The correlation coefficient between the price of crude oil and Halliburton (HAL) stock from September 5, 2016, to September 5, 2017, is 0.65.

A quick snapshot of Schlumberger
Schlumberger, a Houston-based energy company, provides technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to oil and gas exploration and production companies.

Wall Street Analysts’ Forecasts for Flotek Industries
On May 3, 2017, after Flotek Industries’ 1Q17 earnings were released, all of the sell-side analysts tracking Flotek Industries rated it as a “buy.”

Exxon Mobil wins $1.6 billion in arbitration case against Venezuela
Exxon Mobil alleged that the Venezuelan government illegally expropriated its Venezuelan assets in 2007 and paid unfair compensation.

What’s Baker Hughes’s Current Valuation versus Peers?
Baker Hughes, a GE Company (BHGE), is the largest company by market capitalization in our select set of major oilfield services and equipment companies.