Why the United States Imports Oil
Several factors contributed to the rising crude oil exports in 2018.
Energy & Utilities
Stock news and analysis in the energy sector, including petroleum, natural gas, and green energy,
How Utility Stocks Fared Last Week
Utilities were close to their all-time high and gained 0.4% last week, while broader markets also gained marginally.
Why the US Imposed Sanctions on Iran and Why They Matter
The United States first imposed restrictions on its activities with Iran in 1979, after the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran.
OPEC’s Role in World Oil Production
OPEC (the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) aims to “coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its Member Countries.”
NEE, DUK, D, and SO: How Top Utility Stocks Are Currently Valued
NextEra Energy, the biggest utility by market cap, is trading at a forward PE multiple of 22x based on analysts’ estimated EPS for the next 12 months.
How Will Chevon’s Dividend Payment Trend in Q2?
Chevron (CVX) released its first-quarter earnings on April 26. The company paid $2.2 billion in dividends in the first quarter.
Recent Changes in Enterprise Products Partners’ Short Interest
The short interest in Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) stock rose from 24.9 million shares on March 15 to 25.7 million shares on March 29.
Top Utilities’ Stock Price Targets Get Bumped Up
Many top utility stocks’ price targets were changed last week.
Are Oil Bulls Back?
On April 12–18, US crude oil June futures rose 0.1% and closed at $64 per barrel. The S&P 500 Index (SPY) fell 0.1% last week.
How Will the Anadarko Acquisition Benefit Chevron?
Chevron (CVX) has agreed to acquire Anadarko (APC) in a cash and equity deal.
Why Is Halliburton’s Valuation Attractive?
Halliburton (HAL) is trading at a forward EV-to-EBITDA multiple of ~8.1x, which is lower than its five-year average multiple of 10.2x.
SLB, HAL, BHGE, and NOV: Analyzing the Revenue Trends
Halliburton (HAL) and National Oilwell Varco (NOV) recorded 16% revenue growth in 2018—compared to 2017.
XLU’s Chart Indicators and Short Interest
Currently, the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) is trading at $58.2 after hitting an all-time high of $58.7 last week.
A Look at Leaders and Laggards in the Utilities Sector Last Week
Utilities continued their upward march last week and outperformed broader markets.
How’s ExxonMobil’s Downstream Segment Positioned?
In the fourth quarter, ExxonMobil’s refined products sales fell 2.3% YoY to 5.5 MMbpd. The company’s gasoline sales fell 7.2% YoY.
Natural Gas Prices: What to Expect in 2019
The EIA expects US natural gas prices to average $2.89 per MMBtu in 2019. For 2020, the forecast is $2.92 per MMBtu.
Enbridge’s Line 3 Replacement Project Gets Delayed
On March 1, after the markets closed, Enbridge announced that it received a timeline for the permits for its Line 3 Replacement project.
How Has Phillips 66’s Dividend Yield Trended?
Phillips 66’s dividend payments have risen in the past few years. In the first quarter, the company will pay a dividend of $0.8 per share on March 1.
NextEra Energy: Institutional Activity in Q4
The Vanguard Group was the largest institutional investor in NextEra Energy (NEE) at the end of the fourth quarter.
XOM, CVX, Shell, BP: What Do Moving Averages Suggest?
In the first quarter so far, integrated energy stocks ExxonMobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX), Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A), and BP (BP) have risen due to the rise in oil prices.
ExxonMobil: Analysts’ Recommendations
In the fourth quarter, ExxonMobil’s earnings rose and beat the estimates. ExxonMobil continued to take advantage of its integrated business model.
Key MLP and Midstream Rating Updates Last Week
On January 16, Barclays raised its rating for Williams Companies (WMB) from “equal weight” to “overweight.”
What FirstEnergy’s Chart Indicators Suggest
Utilities have been following a downtrend recently, plummeting more than 10% since early last week.
Utilities’ PPI Could Increase with Higher Natural Gas Prices
On March 3, 2016, natural gas active futures were at the lowest closing level in the last 17 years.
Chevron: Analysts Expect Higher Q3 Earnings
Chevron (CVX) is expected to post its third-quarter results on November 2. Chevron is expected to post an EPS of $2.1 in the third quarter.
What Devon Energy’s Technical Indicators Tell Us
Devon Energy (DVN) continues to trade below its short-term (50-day) moving average.
Will Crude Oil Prices Support Energy MLPs?
In the September Short-Term Energy Outlook report, the EIA expects WTI crude oil prices to average $67 per barrel in 2018 and $68 per barrel in 2019.
Comparing HollyFrontier’s Valuation with Peers’
HollyFrontier’s (HFC) forward PE ratio is 10.4x, below peers’ average of 11.2x. Marathon Petroleum’s (MPC), Andeavor’s (ANDV), and Phillips 66’s (PSX) forward PE ratios are higher than the average, at 12.8x, 13.8x, and 12.1x, respectively.
Brent-WTI Spread Might Push Oil Exports and Downstream Stocks Up
On September 10, 2018, Brent crude oil November futures settled ~$9.83 higher than WTI crude oil October futures, the highest level for the Brent-WTI spread since June 19, 2018.
Marathon Petroleum Stock: Price Range until September 28
The implied volatility in Marathon Petroleum has fallen by eight percentage points since July 2 to the current level of 23%.
Capital World Investors Sold a Major Position in NBL in Q2
So far in this series, we’ve looked at institutional investments in five major oil-weighted E&P (exploration and production) stocks: ConocoPhillips (COP), EOG Resources (EOG), Occidental Petroleum (OXY), Anadarko Petroleum (APC), and Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD).
What’s the Forecast for Southwestern Energy Stock?
As of July 25, Southwestern Energy (SWN) had an implied volatility of ~50.0%, which is lower when compared with its implied volatility of ~50.9% at the end of the second quarter of 2018.
China’s June Data Impact the Crude Tanker Industry
China (FXI) released its key economic data for June—import and export data, auto sales data, and the manufacturing index.
How Has Noble Energy Stock Been Performing Recently?
Year-over-year, NBL stock has risen ~22.7%, while crude oil prices have surged 46.5% in the same period.
Using Implied Volatility to Forecast Oasis’s Stock Price Range
Oasis Petroleum (OAS) stock’s current implied volatility is ~ 50.22%, which is ~2.08% higher than its 15-day average of 49.19%.
How Andeavor Stock Has Performed ahead of Q2 2018 Earnings
In the earlier two parts of this series, we looked at Andeavor’s (ANDV) earnings estimates and expected refining margin for Q2 2018.
Are Institutional Investors Selling Marathon Oil Stock?
In Q1 2018, 265 funds were “buyers” of Marathon Oil (MRO) stock, either creating new positions or adding to existing positions.
Forecasting Apache’s Stock Price Range
The current implied volatility in Apache’s stock (APA) is ~37.79%. In comparison, the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) has an implied volatility of 17.8%.
Analyzing ConocoPhillips’s Dividend and Dividend Yield
On July 11, ConocoPhillips (COP) announced a dividend of $0.285 per share on its common stock.
Will Chevron’s Upstream and Downstream Earnings Rise in Q2 2018?
Before we proceed with Chevron’s (CVX) second-quarter segmental outlook, let’s briefly look at its first-quarter segmental performance.
Transocean Has the Highest Backlog among Its Peers
In the last part of this series, we saw which offshore drillers had the highest and lowest falls in their backlogs. In this article, we’ll compare offshore drillers’ backlogs versus their revenues.
Gauging Institutional Investors’ Interest in Propane Companies
OppenheimerFunds, Energy Income Partners, and City National Rochdale hold 4.1%, 3.4%, and 1.6%, respectively, of AmeriGas Partners’ outstanding shares.
Analysts’ Price Targets for Cabot Oil & Gas’s Next 12 Months
Approximately 66.66% of analysts covering Cabot Oil & Gas (COG) recommend “buy,” and 33.33% recommend “hold.”
Integrated Energy Stocks: The Top Eight Dividend Yielders
In this series, we’ll look at eight integrated energy stocks and rank them on dividend yields. Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) holds the top spot.
Jefferies Revises Ratings and Target Prices for Offshore Drillers
In Week 25, which ended June 22, Jefferies downgraded one offshore driller and revised the target prices for others.
Richard Kinder: From Enron to Kinder Morgan
Currently, Richard Kinder owns nearly 11% of Kinder Morgan’s outstanding shares. The stock has underperformed the midstream sector.
Schlumberger’s Stock Price Forecast this Week
Schlumberger’s (SLB) first-quarter financial results were released on April 20. Between April 20 and June 15, Schlumberger’s implied volatility fell from 24.1% to 22%.
Light Sweet Crude Oil Drives US Crude Oil Production Growth
According to the EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration), recent growth in US crude oil production has been driven primarily by light, sweet crude oil.
Analyzing Noble’s June Fleet Status Report
On June 7, Noble (NE) released its June fleet status report. Most of the offshore drilling companies don’t publish a monthly fleet status report.
What’s the Energy Sector’s Dividend Yield?
Of all the energy segments, the oil and gas transportation services segment noted the highest dividend yield.