Best Oil Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:RIG,WPZ,MRO,RRC,COP,

Many of the best dividend growth stocks give their investors a raise each year. However, some companies take that to another level by handing their investors more money every single quarter. Three companies with a history of putting more money into their investors' pockets every three months are Shell Midstream Partners (NYSE:SHLX), Western Gas Partners (NYSE:WES), and Valero Energy Partners (NYSE:VLP).

Topped off the tank to continue growing

Shell Midstream Partners is a master limited partnership (MLP) formed by big oil giant Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS-A)(NYSE:RDS-B) in late 2014 to own, operate, develop, and acquire midstream infrastructure in the U.S. to support its operations. Since that time, Shell has dropped down several assets to Shell Midstream Partners, which has helped grow the MLP's cash flow. That rising income stream has enabled Shell Midstream to increase its distribution to investors each quarter since its formation -- 13 times overall -- including a 20% raise in the last year alone. Currently, the company's payout yields an attractive 6.1%, which it supports with solid financial metrics, including a comfortable 1.1 times coverage ratio in the first quarter.

Best Oil Stocks To Own 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 Shane Hupp]

  Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG)’s share price shot up 1.5% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $13.60 and last traded at $13.39. 771,349 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 94% from the average session volume of 13,165,396 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.19.

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

  While we aren't prognosticators on crude oil prices, there does appear to be a lot of value in the energy sector at this price level. So we asked three Motley Fool investors to highlight a stock in the sector they like this month. Here's why they picked Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD), Enbridge (NYSE:ENB), and Transocean (NYSE:RIG). 

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  A wave of merger activity has swept across the offshore drilling sector in recent years. The latest news came on Monday when Ensco (NYSE:ESV) announced that it had agreed to buy Rowan in a $12 billion deal. That transaction occurred on the heels of Transocean's (NYSE:RIG) agreement earlier last month to acquire Ocean Rig for $2.7 billion. Before that, Transocean bought Songa Offshore for $3.4 billion while Ensco acquired Atwood Oceanics.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Shares of Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-four brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $12.52.

Best Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Williams Partners L.P.(WPZ)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) was off to a great start in 2018 thanks to the growth of its majority-owned master limited partnership, Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ). There's plenty more where that came from, which was clear from the comments of CEO Alan Armstrong on the accompanying quarterly conference call. While he didn't fill in every detail about what lies ahead, he made sure investors knew that the company's future looks bright.

• [By Max Byerly]

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

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

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Williams Companies is in the midst of a major transition. It recently agreed to acquire the rest of its MLP, Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ), in a $10.4 billion deal. The pipeline giant is making this acquisition so that it can more easily finance the expansion projects Williams Partners has under development. The transaction would allow it to free up some cash flow and improve its credit metrics, giving it more financial flexibility.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The stock market stayed in a pretty narrow range on Thursday, climbing early in the session but then slowly drifting lower through the afternoon hours. In the absence of major news, investors largely looked forward to key events like trade negotiations among the world's largest economies. Other financial markets saw mixed moves as well, with 10-year Treasury yields climbing above 3.1% while oil prices stayed comfortably above $70 per barrel. Despite the quiet day, some companies had good news that pushed their shares sharply higher. World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE:WWE), Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK), and Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ) were among the best performers on the day. Below, we'll look more closely at these stocks to tell you why they did so well.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  SG Americas Securities LLC lowered its holdings in Williams Pipeline Partners LP (NYSE:WPZ) by 27.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,682 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 14,458 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Williams Pipeline Partners were worth $1,297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Best Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Marathon Oil Corporation(MRO)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  After plunging 40% over the final three months of 2018, oil prices snapped back to start 2019, rebounding 18% for the month. That rally in the oil market sent most oil stocks higher, including shares of producers Denbury Resources (NYSE:DNR), Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO), and Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG), which all rallied more than 10% for the month, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. 

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Melrose Industries (LON:MRO) had its price target upped by Numis Securities from GBX 250 ($3.39) to GBX 280 ($3.80) in a research report report published on Monday morning. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

• [By Chris Lange]

  The S&P 500 stock posting the largest daily percentage gain ahead of the close was Marathon Oil Corp. (NYSE: MRO) which traded up about 5% at $21.81. The stock's 52-week range is $10.64 to $22.74. Volume was nearly 16 million compared to the daily average volume of 11 million.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) is another oil producer built for $50 oil. At that level, Marathon can generate enough cash to grow its U.S. oil production 25% to 30% this year, while at $60 oil, the company can produce $500 million in free cash -- and even more at current prices. Marathon Oil has a range of options for that money, including buying back shares, boosting the dividend, paying off debt, or acquiring more drillable land.

• [By Zacks]

  Oil production is surging in Canada but producers are far from happy as their profit margin is sinking and they are striving to stay competitive with their U.S. counterparts. While upstream companies like Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE: MRO), Hess Corporation (NYSE: HES) and others are enjoying the shale boom and rebound in prices in the United States, their Canadian counterparts like Cenovus Energy Inc. (NYSE: CVE) and others are thinking of reducing production. The primary reason behind this is the shortage of pipelines in the country. In short, pipeline construction in Canada has failed to keep pace with rising domestic oil production – the heavier sour variety churned out of the oil sands –  resulting in infrastructural bottlenecks. This has also forced producers to give away their products at a discounted rate.

• [By Max Byerly]

  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

Best Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Range Resources Corporation(RRC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) fell about 3.6% Monday to post a new 52-week low of $14.77 after closing at $15.30 on Friday. The 52-week high is $35.64. Volume of about 9.4 million was about 20% higher than the daily average of around 7.7 million shares traded. The company had no specific news.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  OppenheimerFunds Inc. lowered its holdings in Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) by 68.2% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 30,532 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock after selling 65,576 shares during the quarter. OppenheimerFunds Inc.’s holdings in Range Resources were worth $444,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

  So we asked three of our investing contributors to each highlight a company they think has a compelling investment case right now in the oil and gas industry. Here's why they selected Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN), Range Resources (NYSE:RRC), and ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM).

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) – Equities research analysts at Seaport Global Securities raised their Q4 2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Range Resources in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 23rd. Seaport Global Securities analyst M. Kelly now anticipates that the oil and gas exploration company will post earnings per share of $0.12 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.11. Seaport Global Securities has a “Neutral” rating on the stock. Seaport Global Securities also issued estimates for Range Resources’ Q1 2019 earnings at $0.36 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.18 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.26 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $0.98 EPS.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE:RRC) – Equities research analysts at Piper Jaffray Companies issued their Q3 2018 earnings per share estimates for shares of Range Resources in a report issued on Sunday, October 7th. Piper Jaffray Companies analyst K. Harrison expects that the oil and gas exploration company will post earnings of $0.17 per share for the quarter. Piper Jaffray Companies currently has a “Buy” rating and a $27.00 target price on the stock. Piper Jaffray Companies also issued estimates for Range Resources’ Q4 2018 earnings at $0.16 EPS, FY2018 earnings at $0.88 EPS, Q1 2019 earnings at $0.38 EPS, Q2 2019 earnings at $0.33 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.47 EPS, FY2019 earnings at $1.58 EPS, Q1 2020 earnings at $0.63 EPS, Q2 2020 earnings at $0.42 EPS, Q3 2020 earnings at $0.45 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $2.02 EPS.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  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

Best Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: ConocoPhillips(COP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Lange]

  The number of ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) shares short fell to 11.83 million from the previous 12.60 million. Shares were trading at $71.30, within a 52-week range of $45.65 to $74.73.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Investors sold shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) on strength during trading hours on Monday. $64.42 million flowed into the stock on the tick-up and $108.08 million flowed out of the stock on the tick-down, for a money net flow of $43.66 million out of the stock. Of all equities tracked, ConocoPhillips had the 0th highest net out-flow for the day. ConocoPhillips traded up $0.74 for the day and closed at $74.24

• [By Reuben Gregg Brewer]

  Oil prices have risen off of the lows reached following the mid-2014 oil downturn. That's been great news for most oil-related companies, since it means revenues are heading higher. The biggest beneficiaries are the companies most reliant on oil prices, like ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP), which is up 85% since mid-January 2016, when oil prices started rising again. However, the downturn was an ugly reminder that what goes up can just as quickly go down. If you are considering an oil investment, forget ConocoPhillips and take a look at this pair of diversified energy giants instead.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) worked hard to turn its business around during the oil market downturn. We saw the first glimpse of its ability to thrive, now that prices are on the upswing, at the end of last year when the U.S. oil giant reported $545 million, or $0.45 per share, of adjusted earnings. That result marked a significant improvement from the loss it had posted in the previous year.

• [By Chris Lange]

  The number of ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) shares short dropped to 17.34 million from the previous level of 18.27 million. Shares were trading at $68.71, within a 52-week range of $42.27 to $71.71.