The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: ChesapeakeEnergy, EnCana, Devon Energy, Nabors Industries and Helmerich & Payne

CHICAGO, Jan. 31, 2012 /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 ChesapeakeEnergy (NYSE:CHK), EnCana Corp. (NYSE:ECA), Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE:DVN), Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR) and Helmerich & Payne (NYSE:HP).

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Here are highlights from Monday's Analyst Blog:

One-Off Bullish Nat Gas Data

The U.S. Energy Department's weekly inventory release showed a larger-than-expected drop in natural gas supplies, as imports from Canada declined. However, this is largely seen as a one-off shot, with warmer-than-normal temperatures across the country restricting the commodity's requirement for power burn. In fact, gas stocks – currently 21.4% above the 5-year average and 20.7% higher than the same period last year – are at their highest level for this time of the year, reflecting low demand amid robust onshore output.

The Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report – brought out by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) every Thursday since 2002 – includes updates on natural gas market prices, the latest storage level estimates, recent weather data and other market activities or events.

The report provides an overview of the level of reserves and their movements, thereby helping investors understand the demand/supply dynamics of natural gas.

It is an indicator of current gas prices and volatility that affect businesses of natural gas-weighted companies and related support plays like Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK), EnCana Corp. (NYSE:ECA), Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE:DVN), Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR) and Helmerich & Payne (NYSE:HP).

Stockpiles held in underground storage in the lower 48 states fell by 192 billion cubic feet (Bcf) for the week ended January 20, 2012, above the guidance range (of 171–175 Bcf draw) as per the analysts surveyed by Platts.

The decrease – the ninth consecutive withdrawal of the 2011-2012 winter heating season after stocks hit an all-time high in mid-November – is above last year's draw of 184 Bcf and the 5-year (2007–2011) average drawdown of 173 Bcf for the reported week. Notwithstanding this, the current storage level – at 3.098 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) – is up 531 Bcf (20.7%) from last year and 547 Bcf (21.4%) over the five-year average.

A supply glut pressured natural gas futures for most of 2011, as production from dense rock formations (shale) – through novel techniques of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing – remained robust, thereby overwhelming demand. As a matter of fact, natural gas prices have dropped approximately 44% from 2011 peak of about $5.00 per million Btu (MMBtu) in June to the current level of around $2.80 (referring to spot prices at the Henry Hub, the benchmark supply point in Louisiana).

To make matters worse, mild winter weather across most of the country has curbed natural gas demand for heating, indicating a grossly oversupplied market that continues to pressure commodity prices in the backdrop of sustained strong production.

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