CHICAGO, Aug. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include the Royal Dutch Shell plc (NYSE:RDS.A-Free Report), Apache Corp (NYSE:APA-Free Report), Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE:SLB-Free Report), BP plc (NYSE:BP-Free Report) and Cameron International Corp. (NYSE:CAM-Free Report).
Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.
Here are highlights from Tuesday's Analyst Blog:
Oil & Gas Stock Roundup
Royal Dutch Shell plc's (NYSE:RDS.A-Free Report) $2.1 billion portfolio reshuffle and Apache Corp's (NYSE:APA-Free Report) big oil find off Western Australia were the major headlines over the past week.
Overall, it was a bearish week for the sector. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures declined for the fourth consecutive week to close at $97.35 per barrel. Meanwhile, natural gas prices broke their winning streak and ended the week at around $3.8 per million Btu (MMBtu), down 4.7% from the previous week. (See last 'Oil & Gas Stock Roundup' here: Kinder Morgan Soars on $70B Restructuring Mega-Deal)
Oil prices fell further below $100 to their lowest level since late January on the commodity's plentiful inventory, dismal GDP report from the Eurozone and reopening of Libyan export facilities. The negative sentiment was partially offset by the anticipated supply disruption out of Russia – a top energy producer and exporter – following renewed tensions with Ukraine.
Natural gas fared even worse, weighed down by an above-average supply gain and expectations of tepid electric power demand with forecasts of cooler-than-normal summer weather across most parts of the U.S.
Recap of the Week's Most Important Stories
1. In a bid to restructure its North American shale portfolio, European oil major Royal Dutch Shell plc announced that it has entered into agreements to sell its position in the mature Pinedale and Haynesville acreage. The deals would fetch about $2.1 billion in cash for Shell, in addition to properties in the promising Marcellus and Utica shale plays. (Read More: Shell in $2.1B North American Portfolio Restructuring Move)
2. U.S. energy firm, Apache Corp. announced that it has struck oil in the Canning Basin, off the shore of Western Australia. The discovery, at the Phoenix South-1 well, marks the company's first find in the region and is believed to be a significant one. Preliminary estimates indicate about 300 million barrels of oil in the area, based on six light oil samples collected from the region. Moreover, the company stated that the oil and reservoir quality are indicative of a commercial discovery, which could mean a new oil province in Australia.
3. World's largest oilfield services company Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE:SLB-Free Report) became one of the first major U.S. companies to announce that its quarterly earnings would be hurt due to sanctions imposed by the U.S. and European Union (EU) on Russia over the Ukraine crisis. The Houston, TX-based Schlumberger – which drills on the island of Sakhalin with Rosneft – sees its third-quarter profit to be hurt by about 3 cents per share, as the penalties confine the engagement of people and equipment in Russia. (Read More: Schlumberger Q3 Earnings to Suffer for Sanctions on Russia)
4. British energy major BP plc's (NYSE:BP-Free Report) associate, BP Trinidad and Tobago (BpTT) received the nod for its Juniper offshore gas project. The development will comprise construction of a normally unmanned platform, along with related subsea infrastructure. The project – a first of its kind for BpTT – will consist of five subsea wells and a production capacity of around 590 million standard cubic feet a day. (Read More: BP Receives Approval for its Juniper Offshore Gas Project)
5. Oil drilling equipment maker Cameron International Corp. (NYSE:CAM-Free Report) announced that it has signed a deal with industrial goods manufacturer, Ingersoll-Rand Plc (IR) for the sale of its Centrifugal Compression business. The transaction is valued at about $850 million in cash. Cameron anticipates after-tax proceeds of about $600 million from the sale which it intends to use to buy back stocks. The transaction is expected to close by 2014.
Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.
About Zacks Equity Research
Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.
Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.
Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today.
About Zacks
Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros.
Get the full Report on RDS.A - FREE
Get the full Report on APA - FREE
Get the full Report on SLB - FREE
Get the full Report on BP - FREE
Get the full Report on CAM - FREE
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacksresearch
Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
[email protected]
http://www.zacks.com
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101027/ZIRLOGO
SOURCE Zacks Investment Research, Inc.
Share this article