In 2022, many industries struggled, and the oil business was no exception. Traders are interested to learn which oil stocks to monitor at the moment. Learn about the most popular oil stocks on this page.
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1.ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil was founded in 1859 and has since transformed from a U.S. kerosene manufacturer into a worldwide powerhouse that focuses primarily on upstream production. Before central eliminations, 83 percent of net revenue in 2019 came from the production of oil and gas, as well as liquefied natural gas (LNG).
ExxonMobil has demonstrated its reliability as a dividend provider in recent years, having increased at an average annual rate of 6.2% during the past 37 years. It has vowed to sustain dividend payments during the coronavirus crisis.
While the corporation may have reduced dividends in 2020, it saw a remarkable turnaround in 2021. After the end of 2020, ExxonMobil continued a consistent increasing trajectory, as seen by the graph below. The rebound resulted from a rise in oil and natural gas prices and chemical profits. As world economies recover following the Covid-19 epidemic, there has also been a rebound in demand for the company’s products.
2. Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell (RDS) is the largest oil and gas business listed on the London Stock Exchange is Royal Dutch Shell (RDS). Its beginnings date back to 1833, when it began importing from the Far East, but its foray into oil and gas started in the 1880s. Today, it comprises four primary operations, including an upstream and a downstream division, and its more specific sectors centered on integrated gas and alternative greener energy.
RDS is more vulnerable to gas than other big producers due to its integrated gas sector, which controls its LNG, fuels, and other goods. The company supports the global effort to transition to cleaner types of energy but views natural gas as the key to bridging the gap in the meantime. However, it is not the company’s primary revenue generator, and efforts are heavily concentrated on downstream businesses, which generated the great bulk of income last year.
RDS promised investors a stable payout, but dividend payments had stagnated for years. Therefore the company repurchased shares to reward shareholders. In 2020, however, the coronavirus outbreak caused the company to lower its dividend for the first time since World War II and utilize the flexibility that buybacks provide.
3. Chevron
Chevron is an additional major US-listed oil and gas company. When it was founded in 1879, it was known as the Pacific Coast Oil Co. Today, the business has a more typical upstream and downstream approach, contributing equally to earnings in 2019.
The firm has grown its dividend for 32 years in a row and has committed to paying investors during the coronavirus crisis, demonstrating a stark contrast between the attitudes of US oil majors and their European equivalents. However, this is partly because they entered a challenging 2020 with a lower debt-to-equity ratio than most of their foreign competitors.
After a challenging year in 2020, Chevron has rebounded with announced earnings of $3.1 billion for the second quarter of 2021. This is a significant improvement over the $8.3 billion deficit reported in the second quarter of 2020 (Q2).
Like Exxon, Chevron saw downstream margin and volume consequences from the pandemic and the aftermath of a February winter storm in the southern United States. It has recovered due to rising oil prices and the restoration of the economy following Covid-19.
4. Total
The French behemoth Total was founded in 1924. Today, it works in over 130 countries and considers its worldwide reach a competitive advantage. Europe, the Middle East, and Africa are now the company’s most important regions, but it anticipates that the Americas and Asia will play a more significant role in the future.
Total has promised to become carbon neutral by 2050 and has made substantial investments in Renewable Energy, including a recent investment in a North Sea wind farm in the United Kingdom.
In 2019, the downstream segment of Total earned about half of total pre-eliminations revenues, while the trading sector contributed around one-fifth. Its upstream part supplied just 16%, while its integrated gas and renewable energy unit produced the remaining 84%. However, upstream made the most significant contribution to earnings, followed by downstream.
Total’s dividend now places it between its European and American competitors. It has so far maintained dividend payments despite the economic downturn while simultaneously committing to a more aggressive push toward greener Energy. However, it has ceased buying back shares.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization at Total have increased by 59 percent over the past year (EBITDA). This is due to the recovery of world economies from the coronavirus-induced recession of 2020, as well as diversification towards renewable Energy and away from hydrocarbon-centered enterprises.
5. BP
As of 2018, BP, the other major London-listed oil and gas behemoth, operates in around 80 countries and produces approximately 3.7 million daily barrels.
Currently, it is divided into three primary sectors that operate in 87 countries throughout the world: upstream, downstream, and a third region representing its 19.75 percent interest in the Russian oil giant Rosneft. Last year, downstream was the most significant contributor to both revenue and profitability.
In 2020, BP reported a drop in energy use of 4.5%, which is the most significant decrease since 1945, and the firm was affected.
However, as BP said for 2020, they are transitioning to greener energy. They demonstrated this in 2021 by acquiring a series of solar farms to further the nation’s transition to sustainable energy.
The new chief executive officer of BP, Bernard Looney, is still committed to the company’s green agenda and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner.
6. Ecopetrol SA
Ecopetrol SA is a Colombian oil business in various industry activities. The company performs exploration, production, refining, and transportation in Columbia.
Even though the corporation is majority-owned by the government, it is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Ecopetrol SA, founded in 1948, has developed into producing several petroleum-related goods, including gasoline, petrochemicals, and fuel oil.
The company’s revenue has increased by 12.6%, and a nice dividend has been distributed. This small, specialized organization can provide dealers access to the South American oil market.
7. Renewable Energy Group Inc
Renewable Energy is a Fortune 1000 company headquartered in Iowa, United States. The organization maintains thirteen biorefineries and a feedstock processing plant, converting natural fats, oils, and greases into advanced biofuels.
Renewable Energy stock returned 156 percent to investors in only one year during 2020/21, which could be partially attributable to the fact that it was one of the companies that benefited from the US government’s roughly $700 million in coronavirus relief funding.
8. Cheniere Energy Inc
Cheniere Energy Inc is a Texas-based energy corporation. Even though the corporation does not know mine or manufacture petroleum, it is precious in the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) industry. Natural gas production is increasing economically and ecologically.
Cheniere is the largest US operator of natural gas liquids (LNG). Its facilities enable the LNG to be loaded onto ships for worldwide shipment. The firm is reportedly expanding rapidly and aims to become the largest facility by the middle of the decade.
Cheniere began the year 2021 with earnings of $1.54 per share and revenue of $3.09 billion, a solid start.
How to Buy and Sell Oil Stocks
What Determines the Price of Oil Stocks?
Below are some most important factors to consider while analyzing the leading oil and gas stocks:
- Production: the quantity of oil and gas a corporation produces, often measured in barrels of oil equivalent.
- Commodity prices: the price of oil and gas determines the price at which these firms may sell their goods, which determines their profit margin per barrel.
- The other factor influencing margins is the expense of obtaining the material from the earth. Low payments are essential, particularly when prices are low, as this might determine whether a firm is profitable or not during a recession.
- Cash flow: oil and gas businesses have several expenses. They must maintain their massive operations, invest in new projects and exploration, and pay dividends to satisfy their stockholders. If they wish to avoid incurring debt, they must generate cash flow to pay for all of this.
- Oil and gas businesses are renowned for their substantial dividend payouts compared to other industries, and some corporations reward investors with additional share repurchases.
- The quantity of oil and gas a firm has in its resources and reserves may play a significant role in determining its market value. This is equivalent to considering the value of a retailer’s surplus inventory.
- Exploration and prospects: resources and reserves are discovered through exploring new oil and gas-prospective locations. Exploration is dangerous, costly, and sometimes unprofitable, but it is necessary for the business, and a track record of delivering new projects is crucial.
What You Must Know Regarding the Oil Industry
Oil and gas are essential to the global economy. Oil is primarily used to fuel land, sea, and air transportation. However, it is also utilized for a wide variety of other purposes, such as petrochemicals and plastics manufacturing.
Gas is predominantly utilized to generate power or heat for the home, commercial, and industrial purposes, as well as for the production of polymers and other chemicals.
Upstream production refers to the subterranean and undersea search for crude oil and raw natural gas, as well as the drilling and operation of exploratory wells. Downstream production refers to the refining processes that transform crude oil, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and jet fuel into various products. The further downstream a process is, the closer the raw materials are to their ultimate form.
Most major oil and gas players have two primary aspects: upstream and downstream. Upstream refers to the extraction of oil and gas. In contrast, downstream refers to refining these raw materials into various products, such as petroleum, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and jet fuel.
Brent Crude Oil vs. WTI: What Are the Key Differences?
The properties and quality of oil and gas might vary depending on where and how they are generated. For instance, most oil produced in the shale-rich regions of the United States is referred to as West Texas Intermediate (WTI). However, many other nations have Brent crude oil, which is significantly sweeter.
Geographically, there are three major participants in the business. The first is the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), a coalition of primarily Middle Eastern and African nations led by Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil producer. Russia is the second-largest individual producer, followed by the United States, where the shale sector has flourished over the past decade.
OPEC uses Brent crude oil as its worldwide benchmark, and WTI is the United States’ benchmark. Countries will utilize the model of the oil they import most frequently. For example, India buys primarily from OPEC nations and uses Brent crude oil.
Brent crude is traded by two-thirds of the globe, making it more vulnerable to geopolitical concerns. Brent crude is often produced near the sea and can be readily loaded onto shipping containers, whereas WTI is typically delivered in landlocked locations with limited storage capacity.
Best Oil Stocks Summed Up
- Traders have several chances in and around the energy markets while working with us.
- Numerous oil firms, including BP, are transitioning from fossil fuels to sustainable energy.
- In some of the most challenging economic times, the energy business has maintained above-average performance despite the global economic downturn. Oil market traders should take advantage of current market movements.
- Oil may be traded on the spot market using futures or options.
