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☆ These oil companies could be the next takeover targets in Permian Basin after Diamondback deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Diamondback Energy took one of the last major, privately held operators in the Permian off the table this week when it agreed to buy Endeavor Energy Resources for $26 billion. The deal is poised to catapult Diamondback into the top tier in the Permian, the most prolific oil patch in the U.S. that stretches from western Texas into southeastern New Mexico. The top six companies in the Permian are set to own 62% of the basin's remaining oil reserves, according to Rystad Energy. The stubborn holdouts After the Diamondback-Endeavor and Occidental-CrownRock deals, the only other major privately held producers left in the Permian are Continental Resources and Mewbourne Oil. Conoco could potentially seek to acquire Permian Resources , Civitas , Coterra, Vital Energy or Ovintiv , Bernstein said.

Persons: Matthew Bernstein, Bernstein, Hess, Andy Lipow, Neal Dingmann, Mewbourne, Dingmann, Ovintiv, Enerplus, Bob Yawger, Yawger, weren't, Ryan Lance, Lance, Conoco, EOG Organizations: Diamondback Energy, Endeavor Energy Resources, Diamondback, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Rystad Energy, Truist Securities, CRFA Research, Endeavor, CNBC, Exxon, Natural Resources, Occidental, Lipow Oil Associates, Resources, Mewbourne, Continental, Publicly, Civitas, Coterra, Vital Energy, Devon Energy, Marathon Oil, Bloomberg News, Marathon, Reuters, CFRA, ConocoPhillips, Mizuho Locations: U.S, Texas, New Mexico, Guyana, Devon, Bakken, North Dakota, Occidental, Mizuho Americas, Marathon

☆ Citi expects this underperforming oil and gas stock to turnaround next year with 16% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Investors should take a second look at the oil and gas exploration company Ovintiv , according to Citibank. Ovintiv's stock collapsed earlier this year and is down near 12%, underperforming the S & P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF which is up 2% for year. Citi believes Ovintiv's performance in early 2024 will improve with the investment bank putting oil and condensate production 2% above consensus estimates. Ovintiv's production plateau will rise after assessing performance on wells acquired in the Midland acreage earlier this year, according to Citi. Meanwhile, Citi downgraded APA Corp, an oil and gas company with a similar market cap to Ovintiv.

Persons: Scott Gruber Organizations: Citibank, P Oil & Gas Exploration, Citi, APA Corp, APA Locations: Midland, Egypt

☆ Investors like the high dividends and buybacks energy companies offer, but debt is starting to rise again
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

If oil prices stay high — and especially, if they breach $100 a barrel — the companies are well positioned. However, should oil prices fall and debt levels continue to rise, some companies have boxed themselves into a corner with very generous dividends and share repurchase programs. At the same time, operating cash flow has been declining. "What we're looking at is companies trying to bridge a little gap while operating cash flow is going down," said Mark Young, senior analyst at Evaluate Energy. "Since the end of 2020, operating cash flow has been able to cover all capital spending, dividend payments and share buybacks by itself.

Persons: Mark Young, Young, Conoco Phillips, Noah Barrett, Warren, Barrett, We're, Matt Smith, Smith, Jason Mountford, Brent, Goldman Sachs, Mike Wirth, Mountford, unprofitably, there's, that's Organizations: Energy, CNBC, Civitas Resources, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Janus, Federal, Warren Pies, 3Fourteen Research, Investors, Conocophillips, Devon Energy, Exxon, Organization of Petroleum, Kplgr, Bank of America, Citigroup Locations: U.S, Wall, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Chevron

☆ ‘Monster Fracks’ Are Getting Far Bigger. And Far Thirstier.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Hiroko Tabuchi | Blacki Migliozzi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +23 min

Dallas TEXAS Austin Houston San Antonio Dallas TEXAS Austin Houston San Antonio TEXAS TEXAS Amarillo Lubbock Dallas El Paso TEXAS Austin Houston San Antonio Corpus Christi UNCHARTED WATERS ‘Monster Fracks’ Are Getting Far Bigger. Water wells that supply fracking Nationwide, fracking has used up nearly 1.5 trillion gallons of water since 2011. Now they account for almost two out of every three fracking wells in Texas, the Times analysis found. ‘Monster fracks’ take off in Texas Proportion of fracks Source: FracFocus chemical disclosure database as of Aug. 1, 2023. In 2020, New Mexico halted sales of water supplies to oil and gas companies fracking on state land.

For investors looking to rake in profit from the recent oil rally, here are some companies that are poised to benefit off of higher crude prices. Higher oil prices could add to inflationary pressure and feed central bankers' decisions on interest rates. Higher correlation between oil prices means good news for some companies, however. The 10 most positively correlated stocks to oil are energy names, which tend to rise when oil prices get a boost. Molson and Monster have slipped 5.6% and 2.2%, respectively, during the current quarter, while PepsiCo is off more than 5%.

Persons: Brent, WTI, Russell, Molson Coors Organizations: West Texas, CNBC, Oil, Diamondback Energy, Devon Energy, APA, Diamondback, Halliburton, Insurance, CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings, . Beverage, Molson, Monster, PepsiCo, Bank of Canada, Manhattan Associates, Cadence Design Systems, chocolatier Hershey Locations: Saudi Arabia, Russia, Devon, American

☆ US oil M&A jumps as private equity unloads shale assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Gary Mcwilliams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HOUSTON, July 25 (Reuters) - U.S. oil and gas deals rebounded in the second quarter as private equity firms shed shale portfolio investments and publicly traded oil firms grabbed smaller rivals. The surge was due in part to energy focused private equity firms EnCap Investments and NGP Energy Capital selling off a combined six portfolio companies. In total, $14 billion in private equity-owned assets have changed hands this year, Enverus said. Private equity firms have moved away from oil deals, with only 10 new exploration and production firm investments this year compared to 100 per year last decade, Enverus said. Most M&A was in the top U.S. shale field as companies looked to add oil acreage, Enverus' Dittmar said.

Persons: Enverus, Andrew Dittmar, Jon Platt, Baker Botts, Dittmar, Gary McWilliams, Nick Zieminski Organizations: EnCap Investments, NGP Energy Capital, Civitas Resources, PDC Energy, Thomson Locations: U.S, Dittmar . U.S

☆ A fund manager beating 99% of his peers over the last 5 years explains why value is gearing up for a rebound following AI-driven mania — and shares 7 cheap stocks to bet on
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A common phrase you'll hear from folks at Smead Capital Management is "fear stock market failure." He manages the Smead Value Fund (SMVLX), which has beaten 99% of similar funds over the last five-year period, and 97% over the last 10- and 15-year periods, according to Morningstar data. Value stocks to buyWithin value stocks, Smead is most bullish on the energy sector, as he believes we're in the earlier stages of a "commodities super cycle." Another area of the market Smead is bullish on right now is shopping mall real-estate investment trusts, or REITs. "Collecting a 6% dividend from them and having upside potential in a stock market that might struggle looks like a winning hand."

Persons: Bill Smead, Smead, he's, Smith Barney, Wells, Ben, we're, Stifel's Barry Bannister, millenials, it's Organizations: APA, DVN, MAC, Smead Capital Management, Morningstar, Smead Capital, Smead, Management, Occidental Petroleum, ConocoPhillips, Property Group, Simon Property Group Locations: OXY, Devon

Houston, Texas-based EnCap is working with an investment bank to independently sell Novo Oil & Gas Holdings and Forge Energy II, the sources said. EnCap, Novo, and Forge did not respond to comment requests. In 2018, EnCap invested about $400 million in Forge, which currently produces about 14,000 boepd, the sources said. On Monday, Ovintiv Inc (OVV.N) said it would buy assets in the Midland part of the Permian from EnCap for $4.3 billion. In January, Matador Resources Co (MTDR.N) bought Advance Energy Partners from EnCap for $1.6 billion.

Dallas-based NGP is working with investment banks to sell the oil producers, Tap Rock Resources and Hibernia Resources, in auction processes that are expected to kick off in the coming weeks, the sources said. Efforts to cash out on the assets come as higher energy prices boost valuations of oil producers. The oil firm could fetch NGP around $5 billion, according to the sources. Hibernia, which operates in the Midland part of the Permian basin in Texas, could be worth upwards of $2 billion, the sources added. The buyout firm, which has deployed more than $20 billion in energy investments, began raising its NGP Natural Resources XIII fund late in 2022.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Tesla, Marathon Oil, WWE, UnitedHealth and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

UnitedHealth — Shares of the health insurance giant gained about 4% after the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Friday announced updated payment rates. The Wall Street firm said Marqueta is facing a "multitude of headwinds" without an ironed-out renewal deal with Block. Extra Space Storage , Life Storage — Shares of Extra Space Storage fell 5% after the company said it would acquire Life Storage in an all-stock transaction for $145.82 per share, an 11.2% premium to where Life Storage closed Friday. Shares of Life Storage shares rose 3%. Ovintiv – The oil and natural gas exploration and production company saw shares jump 10% after announcing it will acquire certain Midland Basin assets from EnCap Investments for about $4.3 billion.

☆ US energy stocks join European peers' rally after surprise oil output cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 3 (Reuters) - U.S. energy stocks hit an over one-month high on Monday, following a rally in European peers as crude prices rose more than 6% following a surprise announcement by Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ oil producers to cut production. The S&P 500 energy index (.SPNY) added 4.2%, eying its best day in six months, while the benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) traded flat. So any amount of oil price incrementally higher from here is very good for margins and it's very good for these stocks." Other oil producers Occidental Petroleum (OXY.N), ConocoPhillips (COP.N), Devon Energy (DVN.N), Marathon Oil (MRO.N) and APA Corp (APA.O) gained between 6.3% and 9.5%. Alastair Syme, head of energy research at Citi, said investors had recently been reducing the weight of energy stocks in their portfolios, and that any move to re-weight would likely benefit most of the largest cap stocks.

The deal represents a doubling down by Ovintiv on the Permian, where exploration in many areas still promises lucrative returns. Ovintiv will pay cash and also use some of its stock as currency for the deal, the sources said. If the negotiations conclude successfully, a deal could be announced as early as this week, the sources said, cautioning that no deal is certain. The deal will boost the percentage of Ovintiv's production coming from oil, at a time of low natural gas prices. The deal comes as EnCap is attempting to raise a new fund focused on investments in oil and gas production, its first since 2017, sources told Reuters in November.

☆ A fund manager who's beaten 99% of his peers over the last decade shares 5 energy stocks he's betting on right now as 'oil and gas profits could become one of the only games in town' during a recessio
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Energy stocks still have more upside even after their big run, says Bill Smead. Energy stocks have soared since their pandemic lows, with the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) up 230% since March 2020 compared to the S&P 500's 71%. Further, Smead said an incoming recession could wipe out profits in other industries, leaving investors to flock to the oil industry. Nothing could be better than producing addictive fossil fuel energy at higher and higher prices for the next decade." 5 energy stocks to watchWhile Smead is bullish on energy broadly, he especially likes firms that aren't giants in the industry.

☆ Exclusive: Canada's Baytex Energy nears $2.5 bln deal for U.S. peer Ranger Oil -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( David French | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Canadian oil and gas producer Baytex Energy Corp (BTE.TO) is nearing a deal to acquire U.S. peer Ranger Oil Corp (ROCC.O) for around $2.5 billion including debt, people familiar with the matter said on Monday. Calgary, Alberta-based Baytex will pay a mixture of cash and stock to buy Ranger at a small premium to its current market value of $1.8 billion. Baytex and Ranger did not immediately reply to requests for comment. Baytex's deal would add to the run of Canadian energy operators seeking to boost the amount they produce south of the border. Enerplus Corp (ERF.TO) completed in December the sale of its Canadian operations, leaving it with assets in North Dakota and Pennsylvania.

☆ U.S. gas producers skimped on price hedges and now face a reckoning
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Arathy Somasekhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

HOUSTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - A rout in natural gas prices will hurt first-quarter earnings and cash flows at gas producers as hedges - the industry's version of price insurance - were inadequate to offset the expected losses, analysts and industry experts said. About 36% of 2023 gas production was hedged at the end of September, according to consultancy Energy Aspects, which tracked 40 publicly traded gas producers. EQT Corp (EQT.N), the top U.S. producer of natural gas, last month said it expects a $4.6 billion loss on derivatives for 2022, and net cash settlements of $5.9 billion. These transactions have a producer buy an agreement to sell natural gas at one price, called a put, while also selling a put at a lower price in hopes of pocketing the premium from its buyer. Were gas prices to average $2.36 per mmcf, the company would pay out 14 cents per mmcf, reducing the gains from the hedge.

☆ Analysts love these AI stocks with big upside potential to play the ChatGPT-driven artificial intelligence craze
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Each name in the list that follows has potential upside of about 35% or more, buy ratings from at least 60% of analysts and at least 10 analysts covering the stock. It has about 39% potential upside and buy ratings from almost 62% of the analysts covering it. Intellia Therapeutics , a company focused on gene-editing treatments, has upside potential of about 140% and buy ratings from 72% of its 27 analysts. Denali Therapeutics , which is focused on defeating neurodegenerative diseases, is close behind, with upside potential of 104% and buy ratings from almost 89% of its 18 analysts. Karuna Therapeutics , which specializes in schizophrenia treatments, holds the largest percentage of buy ratings, coming from 95% of its 20 analysts.

☆ These are analysts’ favorite value stocks heading into 2023, including one name expected to double
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The IWF , its growth counterpart, has dropped 28% in that time, while the S & P 500 has fallen nearly 20%. This would mark the first time since 2016 that the IWD outpaces both the S & P 500 and IWF since 2016. The stock is trading at a slight discount relative to the S & P 500 and has buy ratings from three-quarters of analysts covering it. Mattel also made the list, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 10 and buy ratings from 73% of analysts. The stock is one the best performers in the S & P 500 for 2022, gaining more than 70% as investors have piled into the energy sector this year.

☆ Bill Miller keeps betting big on this energy stock, which is up 60% this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Value investor Bill Miller kept his top holding unchanged last quarter, betting on an energy name that has jumped nearly 60% this year. Miller first bought the stock in the fourth quarter of 2021. Goldman Sachs recently published a bullish note on Ovintiv, saying the stock could surge 40% in the next 12 months. Another energy name among Miller's biggest holdings is Energy Transfer , which he kept unchanged at $65 million. The stock has fallen about 30% in volatile trading this year amid heightened geopolitical tensions.

☆ These are Goldman's favorite long-term buys in the energy sector
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Even though the energy sector has sharply outperformed the broader market this year, there are still pockets of opportunity for investors looking for long-term buys, according to Goldman Sachs. Favorite long-term energy buys Every stock on Goldman's list is buy rated, including EOG Resources , which the firm recently upgraded to due to improving capital, upside from new plays and strong capital efficiency and execution. "We see 18% total return to our 12-month price target to EOG." Suncorcar has been an underperformer but offers an 18% upside to Goldman's 12-month price target. "We also see a series of catalysts that can improve sentiment including clarity on CEO, strong refining margins, protection from Western Canadian crudes and ongoing returns of capital," Mehta wrote.

☆ Goldman says buy these kinds of stocks as firm sours on overall market amid rate surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Goldman Sachs recently slashed its year-end target for the S & P 500 citing higher than expected interest rates. The dismal outlook comes after the Federal Reserve this week raised interest rates by 0.75 percentage point, its third consecutive hike of that size. The median equity duration in Goldman's short duration basket is 18.3 years, below the 21-year median of the Russell 1000. To be sure, long duration stocks have been "surprisingly resilient" in the face of higher real rates, Kostin said. Yields on the 2-year U.S. Treasury note spiked Wednesday around the Fed's interest rate hike, and continued to climb since.

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