Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now

tags:APA,COP,MMP,ECA,WLL,WPZ,RRC,HAL,RIG,MRO, 1. Jobs report: The first jobs report for 2018 showed the U.S. economy added 200,000 jobs in January.

The unemployment rate remained at 4.1%, the lowest in 17 years, following a long string of monthly job gains.

Wages grew 2.9% compared with a year earlier, which was better than expected.

Consumer confidence has been high and, in general, Americans aren't worried about losing their jobs.

"Life is generally good for the U.S. consumer," said Paul Donovan, global chief economist at UBS Wealth Management.

2. Unending earnings: Oil giants Chevron (CVX) and Exxon Mobil (XOM) are reporting results ahead of the open, along with Clorox (CLX), Estee Lauder (EL), Merck (MRK) and Sprint (S).

Deutsche Bank (DB) shares tumbled 6% after the company reported a third consecutive annual loss.

The €500 million ($625 million) loss for 2017 was fueled by a €1.4 billion ($1.8 billion) hit from tax changes in the United States. Germany's largest bank also reported falling revenues.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Apache Corporation(APA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Apache Corporation (NYSE:APA) stunned the oil and gas world in late 2016 by announcing the discovery of the Alpine High play in a long-overlooked spot of the Permian Basin. The company believed that it had uncovered more than 3 billion barrels of oil and even more natural gas, which would drive growth for years to come. However, that growth wouldn't materialize overnight because Apache first had to build out the infrastructure needed to develop the field from scratch. 

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Apache (NYSE:APA) was upgraded by analysts at ValuEngine from a sell rating to a hold rating.

  Get Apache Co alerts:

  Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) was upgraded by analysts at ValuEngine from a sell rating to a hold rating.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Apache Co. (NYSE:APA) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 4,704 shares of the energy company’s stock, valued at approximately $220,000.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Kinder Morgan announced that it signed a letter of intent with private equity-backed EagleClaw Midstream Ventures and Apache Corporation (NYSE:APA) to develop the Permian Highway Pipeline Project. The proposed $2 billion, 430-mile pipeline would move 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Permian to the Gulf Coast. However, the partners are evaluating the feasibility of building a larger pipeline that could move even more gas. Kinder Morgan and EagleClaw would each initially own a 50% stake in the project, though Apache has the option to acquire a 33% interest from those partners. Apache has committed to supply the pipeline with about a quarter of its initial capacity, while EagleClaw has also agreed to be a significant shipper on the proposed line, which could enter service by the end of 2020.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: ConocoPhillips(COP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  According to a recent report by Reuters, ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) has held talks with investment banks about helping the company unload its stake in Cenovus Energy (NYSE:CVE). That sale could net the oil giant more than $2 billion in cash, which would bolster its already sizable cash war chest and give it more money to allocate in creating value for investors.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  10 15 Associates Inc. lowered its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 1.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 207,906 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 2,741 shares during the period. ConocoPhillips makes up 2.9% of 10 15 Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. 10 15 Associates Inc.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $12,327,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Oscar Wilde famously quipped that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness." That sums up what we've witnessed in the oil patch over the past year as a growing number of exploration and production companies (E&Ps) have copied the playbook developed by leading U.S. E&P ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) in the fall of 2016. That strategy, which included increasing its dividend and buying back stock, has been instrumental in creating value for its shareholders, evidenced by the fact its stock is up nearly 70% since that time.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Arrow Financial Corp grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 23.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,894 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,695 shares during the quarter. Arrow Financial Corp’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $554,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

• [By Alexander Bird]

  From 2016 to 2017, Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) saw a 16% boost in profits, while Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) saw a 30% boost. Texas-based ConocoPhillips Corp. (NYSE: COP) saw a strong 37.5% boost.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Magellan Midstream Partners L.P.(MMP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Oil and gas investors have been through the wringer over the past few years. Even the most stable investments in this industry -- pipelines, processing, and logistics -- haven't been spared. Case in point: Shares of Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP) have declined 18% over the past three years despite the company posting consistent revenue and cash flow growth. To top it off, there has been a slew of regulatory and tax changes in recent months that will have a significant impact on this particular industry.

• [By John Bromels]

  While 6,000 miles sounds like alot, it's not that much in the grand scheme of things. Fellow MLP Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP), for example, operates 10,800 miles of pipelines and 80 terminals. Buckeye's pipelines are exclusively located in the Northeast and upper Midwest, primarily between St. Louis and New York City, with a large footprint around Chicago. Its terminals and storage facilities, though, sprawl across the country and the globe, with marine terminals on the Gulf Coast and in Western Europe, the Caribbean, and even Singapore.

• [By ]

  Cramer and the AAP team are looking for opportunities to trim stocks into strength based out of discipline. That means trimming Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP) . Find out what they're telling their investment club members and get in on the conversation with a free trial subscription to Action Alerts PLUS.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Meanwhile, Valero Energy is investing in new midstream infrastructure that it could eventually drop down to its MLP, including those under construction in two joint ventures it formed with Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP) last year. The first one will invest $380 million in building new refined products pipelines and storage assets in central Texas, which should start service by the middle of next year. Meanwhile, Valero and Magellan Midstream are also building a new marine terminal near Houston. Valero will pour $410 million into the terminal, which should start up in early 2020. Magellan sees the potential to invest another $700 million to double the terminal's size in the future, which is a project that it could partner with Valero.

• [By ]

  That means pipelines are equally busy carrying all that raw crude into these refineries and then carrying out gasoline, diesel and other finished products. So you'd think these would be boon times for Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE: MMP), which owns 10,000 miles of pipeline that connect with 50% of the nation's refinery capacity.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  The company is also looking at a variety of oil pipeline expansion projects in the Permian Basin, including building the Permian Express-4 pipeline, which could move about 100,000 BPD. On top of that, it's working on a potentially larger project with its joint venture partner Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP). Long noted that the company had made "significant progress with our new 30-inch crude oil pipeline joint-venture project with Magellan and other strategic partners" that would "provide unprecedented flexibility from the Permian Basin."

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Encana Corporation(ECA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Canada's Montney Shale doesn't currently capture investors' attention like the Permian Basin. However, that doesn't mean it's a second-tier play. Quite the contrary since, like the Permian, it's a resource-rich region with as many as six drillable formations that produce highly economic liquids-rich natural gas. Because of those features, it has become an important growth driver for companies like Encana (NYSE:ECA).

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Electra (CURRENCY:ECA) traded down 5.1% against the U.S. dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 15:00 PM E.T. on June 12th. Over the last seven days, Electra has traded down 25.7% against the U.S. dollar. Electra has a market cap of $34.53 million and approximately $134,011.00 worth of Electra was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Electra coin can currently be bought for $0.0013 or 0.00000020 BTC on exchanges including CryptoBridge, Fatbtc, CoinFalcon and Coinhouse.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Shares of Encana Corp (NYSE:ECA) (TSE:ECA) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $5.95, but opened at $6.10. Encana shares last traded at $6.11, with a volume of 65113676 shares changing hands.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Electra (CURRENCY:ECA) traded 8% higher against the U.S. dollar during the 1-day period ending at 22:00 PM ET on June 20th. In the last week, Electra has traded 12.6% higher against the U.S. dollar. Electra has a market capitalization of $34.87 million and $128,874.00 worth of Electra was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Electra coin can now be purchased for $0.0014 or 0.00000020 BTC on exchanges including Fatbtc, Novaexchange, CoinFalcon and CryptoBridge.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Morgan Stanley set a $19.00 price objective on Encana (NYSE:ECA) (TSE:ECA) in a report published on Friday morning. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Electra (CURRENCY:ECA) traded 3.4% lower against the dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 18:00 PM Eastern on June 4th. Electra has a total market capitalization of $45.83 million and approximately $326,372.00 worth of Electra was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. One Electra coin can currently be bought for $0.0018 or 0.00000024 BTC on cryptocurrency exchanges including Novaexchange, Octaex, Fatbtc and Cryptopia. In the last seven days, Electra has traded 12.8% higher against the dollar.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Whiting Petroleum Corporation(WLL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Here are some of the media stories that may have impacted Accern Sentiment Analysis’s rankings:

  Get Whiting Petroleum alerts: Whiting Petroleum Corp (WLL) Expected to Post Earnings of $0.62 Per Share (americanbankingnews.com) Oil Edges Higher On Iran Fears – OIR 220818 (proshareng.com) Whiting Petroleum (WLL) Presents At EnerCom’s 23rd Annual Oil & Gas Conference – Slideshow (seekingalpha.com) Whiting Petroleum (NYSE: WLL) – Day One Breakout Notes (oilandgas360.com)

  Several analysts have issued reports on WLL shares. Bank of America raised shares of Whiting Petroleum from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 10th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Whiting Petroleum from $50.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 29th. Imperial Capital increased their price objective on shares of Whiting Petroleum from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 2nd. Piper Jaffray Companies reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Whiting Petroleum in a research report on Friday, July 20th. Finally, SunTrust Banks increased their price objective on shares of Whiting Petroleum to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 5th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Whiting Petroleum currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $48.54.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Several analysts have recently updated their ratings and price targets for Whiting Petroleum (NYSE: WLL):

  2/15/2019 – Whiting Petroleum was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating. According to Zacks, “Whiting Petroleum's core operations are focused in North Dakota's Williston Basin, providing this E&P with an enviable acreage of top-tier assets and a multi-year drilling inventory. The company’s continually improving drilling efficiency has driven down cash costs while leading to attractive cash flow generation. However, as a counter to these strengths, Whiting Petroleum still carries considerable debt load, which may spell trouble. Moreover, the company’s price hedges have exposed it to significant risks amid the high volatility in crude prices. As such, the stock is expected to perform in line with the broader market.” 2/12/2019 – Whiting Petroleum is now covered by analysts at KeyCorp. They set an “overweight” rating and a $33.00 price target on the stock. 2/9/2019 – Whiting Petroleum was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating. According to Zacks, “Whiting Petroleum's core operations are focused in North Dakota's Williston Basin, providing this E&P with an enviable acreage of top-tier assets and a multi-year drilling inventory. The company’s continually improving drilling efficiency has driven down cash costs while leading to attractive cash flow generation. However, as a counter to these strengths, Whiting Petroleum still carries considerable debt load, which may spell trouble. Moreover, the company’s price hedges have exposed it to significant risks amid the high volatility in crude prices. As such, the stock is expected to perform in line with the broader market.” 2/8/2019 – Whiting Petroleum
• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ClariVest Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Whiting Petroleum Corp (NYSE:WLL) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 53,424 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,816,000.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Williams Partners L.P.(WPZ)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE: WPZ) from Buy to Hold..

  Williams Partners shares fell 0.63 percent to close at $41.23 on Friday.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Overall, earnings at both Williams and its MLP Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ) were down slightly versus the year-ago period due to asset sales, while cash flow modestly increased thanks to lower interest expenses.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Williams Partners (WPZ)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Williams Partners (NYSE: WPZ) and Targa Resources (NYSE:TRGP) are both large-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability and valuation.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Range Resources Corporation(RRC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe, Jason Hall, and Matthew DiLallo]

  So we asked three of our energy contributors to each highlight a stock they see in the oil and gas industry that would make a great buy today. Here's why they picked Diamond Offshore Drilling (NYSE:DO), Range Resources (NYSE:RRC), and Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN). 

• [By Shane Hupp]

  RRCoin (CURRENCY:RRC) traded down 5% against the dollar during the twenty-four hour period ending at 14:00 PM ET on September 22nd. One RRCoin token can now be purchased for approximately $0.0093 or 0.00000139 BTC on cryptocurrency exchanges. RRCoin has a total market cap of $0.00 and approximately $463,836.00 worth of RRCoin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. In the last seven days, RRCoin has traded 1.4% higher against the dollar.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Shares of Range Resources (NYSE:RRC) rose more than 10% by 2:30 p.m. EST on Monday after the top-10 natural gas producer reported strong reserve numbers for 2018.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) by 25.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 123,421 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,839 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank’s holdings in Range Resources were worth $1,794,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Range Resources (RRC)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Halliburton Company(HAL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

  IEZ is also a top-heavy fund. Just two stocks — Schlumberger NV (NYSE: SLB) and Halliburton Inc. (NYSE: HAL) — combine for almost 26 percent of the fund's weight. Underscoring the correlation to oil prices, IEZ has a three-year standard deviation of 30 percent, indicating this ETF is far more volatile than standard diversified energy funds.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  SemGroup (NYSE: SEMG) and Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, dividends, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations and profitability.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Halliburton (NYSE:HAL)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $42.90, but opened at $44.92. Halliburton shares last traded at $46.22, with a volume of 15095300 shares traded.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Transocean Inc.(RIG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe, Matthew DiLallo, and Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  We asked three Motley Fool contributors to discuss one stock in the oil and gas space they think is a great buy right now. Here's a rundown on their three picks: Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG), ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM), and Transocean (NYSE:RIG).

• [By Jason Hall, Tyler Crowe, and Matthew DiLallo]

  At the same time, there has been a tremendous amount of consolidation (like this and this and this), leaving fewer -- stronger -- companies operating just when work is starting to pick up. Here's a look at quarterly revenue for Diamond Offshore (NYSE:DO), Transocean (NYSE:RIG), Ensco PLC (ADR) (NYSE:ESV), Noble Corp. (NYSE:NE), and Rowan (NYSE:RDC) so far this year. 

• [By Jason Hall]

  So what's an investor to do? Owning the companies best-positioned to profit is a great place to start. Consider two of Big Oil's finest in Royal Dutch Shell plc (ADR) (NYSE:RDS-A)(NYSE:RDS-B) and Total SA (ADR) (NYSE:TOT), offshore driller Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) and natural gas for transportation specialist Clean Energy Fuels Corp (NASDAQ:CLNE).

• [By Neha Chamaria, Jason Hall, and Ashraf Eassa]

  When we asked three Motley Fool contributors to identify a stock they believe is absurdly cheap right now given its prospects, they picked Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (NYSE:BIP), Transocean (NYSE:RIG), and Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC). Here's why.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Northern Trust Corp reduced its stake in shares of Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) by 1.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,527,006 shares of the offshore drilling services provider’s stock after selling 44,063 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned about 0.76% of Transocean worth $47,402,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Marathon Oil Corporation(MRO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Back in 2011, Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) elected to spin off Marathon Petroleum. At the time, much of the reasoning for the split was that both entities would garner higher valuations than as an integrated company. Also, by separating them, both could best allocate capital to grow shareholder value. 

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Marathon Oil (MRO)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Marathon Oil Corporation's (NYSE:MRO) transformation into a shale-focused oil growth company is starting to pay dividends. That was evident in the second quarter as the company reported strong production results across all four of its U.S. resource plays. Because of that, the oil producer was able to boost its full-year growth forecast for the second time this year without increasing its capital budget.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) CEO Lee Tillman feels the same way. He stated on the company's first-quarter call that: "Our financial flexibility is at the top of our peer group and was further strengthened by receipt of proceeds from Libya and our final Canadian oil sands payment. This flexibility allows us to pursue multiple high-return uses of free cash, but we are taking a disciplined approach and we are not considering large-scale M&A."

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) delivered strong operational and financial results through the third quarter of last year, which had the company on track to end 2018 on a high note. Investors will find out whether that's the case when the company reports its fourth-quarter results. That's one of several things they should keep their eye on when reviewing that report.