Apache Corporation (NYSE: APA) is raised to Buy from Hold at Argus with a $56 price target. That competes with the Wall Street consensus target of $46.19. The 52-week trading range for the company is $33.60 to $51.21. The stock closed Friday at $42.24.

When most people think about oil and gas drillers, they think about integrated majors like ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) or maybe a producer whose name they’ve seen on a gas station, like Hess (NYSE:HES). One most don’t think about is Apache Corporation (NYSE:APA). 

Kinder Morgan is already building a multibillion-dollar gas pipeline out of the Permian Basin after starting work on the Gulf Coast Express (GCX) in the first quarter. The company is developing that $1.75 billion pipeline in a partnership with Targa Resources and DCP Midstream. GCX will transport up to 1.98 Bcf/d of natural gas from shippers such as Apache (NYSE:APA), which not only signed a transportation agreement, but holds an option to buy a 15% stake in the pipeline from Kinder Morgan.

Halcyon (HAL) is a PoW/PoS coin that uses the
X15 hashing algorithm. Its genesis date was July 16th, 2014. Halcyon’s total supply is 6,668,787 coins. Halcyon’s official website is halcyon.top. Halcyon’s official Twitter account is @halcyondev.

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

Halcyon (CURRENCY:HAL) traded up 0.4% against the U.S. dollar during the one day period ending at 13:00 PM E.T. on September 9th. Over the last seven days, Halcyon has traded 40.7% lower against the U.S. dollar. Halcyon has a market capitalization of $171,200.00 and $23.00 worth of Halcyon was traded on exchanges in the last day. One Halcyon coin can currently be bought for approximately $0.0272 or 0.00000426 BTC on cryptocurrency exchanges.

Not only are these pipeline issues impacting producers, but they’re also starting to pinch the profits of oil-field service companies. Halliburton (NYSE:HAL), for example, recently said that while “we thought there would be a downturn in activity [in the Permian] due to budget constraints and takeaway issues… it’s more than we expected.” Because of those issues and some others, Halliburton’s third-quarter results will come in $0.08 to $0.10 per share below expectations. Meanwhile, its outlook for 2019 is dimming due to the slowdown. 

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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.

Intersect Capital LLC lowered its stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 13.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,221 shares of the energy producer’s stock after selling 1,237 shares during the period. Intersect Capital LLC’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $572,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) was started with an Outperform rating at BMO Capital Markets with a $74 price target. The Wall Street consensus target for the oil giant is set at $74.35. The shares ended trading Friday at $69.43.

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec raised its position in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 285.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 652,900 shares of the energy producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 483,700 shares during the quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec owned 0.06% of ConocoPhillips worth $38,710,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) is starting to become an income growth machine once again. While the U.S. oil giant has a blemished dividend history after slashing its payout by two-thirds in 2016 — wiping out more than a decade of growth — the company restarted its dividend growth engine last year. It has now boosted its payout three times in less than two years and appears as if it has plenty of fuel to continue expanding the payout, making it an appealing dividend growth stock for investors to consider.

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Thursday was a volatile day on Wall Street, as major stock indexes lost a lot of ground early in the day but then rebounded to finished mixed. Gains for the Nasdaq Composite came even as Dow Jones Industrial Average fell modestly, and although investors spent much of the session trying to parse through the implications of the latest economic report on retail sales, earnings played a key role in moving many well-known stocks. Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO), AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN), and Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) were among the top performers. Here’s why they did so well.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO), likewise, said it would stick with its $2.3 billion drilling budget, which is enough money to grow oil and gas production in the U.S. by 25% to 30% versus last year. Because of that capital discipline, Marathon is on pace to produce more than $500 million in excess cash this year, and that’s assuming crude averages $60 a barrel.

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.

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Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) put the wraps on a strong year by delivering solid fourth-quarter results, which came in slightly ahead of expectations. With that, the company exceeded its initial growth projection for the year while sticking to its budget, and was thus able to generate and return lots of cash to shareholders. The company expects more of the same in 2019 as its drilling machine aims to continue printing money.

Whiting Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: WLL) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight with a $71 target price (versus a $50.48 close) at Morgan Stanley.

Tuesday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included DocuSign, Embraer, Goodyear, Macy’s, Micron Technologies, Raytheon, Smartsheet and more.

Whiting Petroleum Corp (NYSE:WLL) – Stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group increased their Q2 2019 earnings estimates for Whiting Petroleum in a research note issued on Wednesday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group analyst M. Lear now forecasts that the oil and gas exploration company will earn $0.30 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.28. Jefferies Financial Group also issued estimates for Whiting Petroleum’s Q3 2019 earnings at $0.22 EPS.

Whiting Petroleum Corp (NYSE:WLL)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $46.75, but opened at $48.93. Whiting Petroleum shares last traded at $50.12, with a volume of 80658 shares trading hands.

Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Whiting Petroleum Co. (NYSE:WLL) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 14,439 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock, valued at approximately $489,000.

Sentinel Trust Co. LBA lessened its stake in shares of Encana Corp (NYSE:ECA) (TSE:ECA) by 37.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 328,255 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 195,760 shares during the quarter. Encana accounts for about 1.0% of Sentinel Trust Co. LBA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Sentinel Trust Co. LBA’s holdings in Encana were worth $4,283,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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Encana (NYSE:ECA) (TSE:ECA) had its target price raised by Morgan Stanley from $16.00 to $20.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning. Morgan Stanley currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

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.

The best dividend growth stocks are those that give their investors a raise year in and year out. However, some companies aim even higher by providing their investors with increases every quarter. Two of these dividend dynamos are Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP) and MPLX (NYSE:MPLX), which both should have plenty of fuel to continue increasing their payouts each quarter for at least the next few years. 

Crude prices recovered sharply from the profit-taking that we saw ahead of yesterday’s news events, and it is in the Saudis’ best interest to maintain higher market prices as long as the Saudi Aramco deal remains in the future. That said, the U.S. dollar continues to strengthen versus the greenback’s peers, and that could act as a weight upon all commodity prices if that condition were to persist.

Trade Idea: Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP)

You’ve heard all about the bottlenecks in domestic distribution. Now, you’ve heard Secretary Mnuchin talk about production. Still, we have to get this stuff to market. When it comes to energy, I have focused on oil services, hence my well-known long positions in both Action Alerts PLUS holding Schlumberger (SLB) , and Halliburton (HAL) .

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Transocean (NYSE:RIG) was upgraded by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat reports.

Shares of RigNet are up more than 18% since the announcement. However, the company’s stock price had been in rally mode well before that news, rocketing 75% since the end of July. While some notable improvements in its second-quarter results likely helped ignite this rally, the company is also benefiting from the belief that the long-awaited offshore drilling recovery is beginning to unfold. The most recent comments supporting that view came from Transocean’s (NYSE:RIG) CEO Jeremy Thigpen. He stated last week that he expects lease rates on rigs to improve, and that contracting activity should pick up in late 2019. Based on that outlook, he said that “we are far more bullish than we have been historically,” which is one reason Transocean recently made another major acquisition.

Shares of Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $13.41, but opened at $13.13. Transocean shares last traded at $12.81, with a volume of 16922465 shares trading hands.

Quantitative Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 13,609 shares of the offshore drilling services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $135,000.

Transocean Ltd  (NYSE:RIG)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 19, 2019, 9:00 a.m. ET

Contents:
Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants
Prepared Remarks:

Operator

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).

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.

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.

Williams Pipeline Partners LP (NYSE:WPZ) – US Capital Advisors decreased their Q3 2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Williams Pipeline Partners in a research note issued to investors on Monday, May 14th. US Capital Advisors analyst B. Followill now forecasts that the pipeline company will post earnings per share of $0.39 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.41. US Capital Advisors also issued estimates for Williams Pipeline Partners’ Q4 2018 earnings at $0.45 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $1.87 EPS.

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.

Barclays set a $46.00 price target on Williams Pipeline Partners (NYSE:WPZ) in a research note published on Saturday. The brokerage currently has a hold rating on the pipeline company’s stock.

There’s an interesting dichotomy here, however. Crestwood was looking to stay financially disciplined, but it also needed to invest to grow. Doing both at the same time is difficult, which is why it partnered up with Con Ed in the Marcellus region, Shell Midstream Partners LP (NYSE:SHLX) and First Reserve in the Delaware Basin, and Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ) in the Powder River basin. These agreements allow Crestwood to keep expanding its business without having to foot the entire bill for the investments.

Earnings season is now in full swing, with today’s key reports from Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL) and Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL). Thanks to tax cuts, expectations are high. Analysts expect profit growth to top 18%, which would be the biggest jump in seven years. But there are a few bearish trends that are still lurking in the market. And if you’re serious about making money, you need to know how to harness them and target individual stocks for life-changing gains. Money Morning Quantitative Specialist Chris Johnson explains.

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.

Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL) reported first-quarter 2018 results before markets opened Monday. The oil and gas services company posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.41 on revenues of $5.74 billion. In the same period a year ago, the company reported EPS of $0.04 on revenues of $4.28 billion. First-quarter results also compare to consensus estimates for EPS of $0.41 per share and $5.75 billion in revenues.

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Today, however, many drillers are setting a high bar for new wells. EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG) has been one of the leaders in disrupting the former way of thinking by establishing a high return hurdle rate for new wells of 30% after-tax at $40 oil. Others followed with similar return-focused approaches, including Encana (NYSE:ECA), which needs locations to achieve a 35% after-tax return at $50 oil to meet its premium hurdle rate. 

We asked three Motley Fool investors to profile some of the best under-the-radar growth stocks on the market today. Read on to see why they selected Encana (NYSE:ECA), Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI), and Baozun (NASDAQ:BZUN) as top growth stocks for in-the-know investors.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Apache Corporation (NYSE: APA) is raised to Buy from Hold at Argus with a $56 price target. That competes with the Wall Street consensus target of $46.19. The 52-week trading range for the company is $33.60 to $51.21. The stock closed Friday at $42.24.

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.

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. 

Berenberg Bank set a €49.00 ($55.68) price objective on Compugroup Medical (ETR:COP) in a report issued on Monday. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

As oil prices rose through the first nine months of last year, it caused several of Marathon’s peers to boost their capital spending plans. ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP), for example, increased its budget twice, going from an initial level of $5.5 billion up to $6.1 billion by year-end. Meanwhile, Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC) set its budget range between $4.2 billion and $4.6 billion but ended up spending $4.8 billion. Marathon, on the other hand, had resisted the temptation to boost spending, keeping a tight lid on its budget at $2.3 billion.

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ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) is one of these leaders. The U.S. oil giant announced a multi-billion-dollar buyback in late 2016, which has helped catapult its stock 55% higher since then, vastly outperforming the nearly 23% gain from the iShares U.S. Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (NYSEMKT:IEO), which holds more than 60 U.S.-focused oil and gas stocks. Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC), meanwhile, has rallied almost 60% since unveiling a multi-billion-dollar buyback last fall, doubling the return of the iShares E&P ETF.

While higher oil prices would be bad for oil consumers, it would benefit oil producers, especially those that can capture Brent-based prices, which are currently $10 a barrel more than the U.S. oil benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI). Multinational oil companies like ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) and Chevron (NYSE:CVX) would be among those that benefit the most. In ConocoPhillips’ case, every $1-per-barrel change in the price of Brent would boost its cash flow by $105 million to $125 million during the course of a year, whereas that same increase would only improve its WTI-based cash flows by $45 million to $55 million. Meanwhile, Chevron produces an average of 575,000 BPD of oil and other liquids in the U.S. that fetch WTI-based prices while getting nearly 1.2 million BPD from places that capture Brent pricing. Because of their higher weighting toward Brent, Chevron and ConocoPhillips would earn more money per barrel if global oil prices rise in the wake of supply problems in Venezuela and Iran.

A third factor to focus on is how an E&P company allocates its oil-fueled cash flows. Some oil companies take the “drill, baby, drill” mentality and spend everything that comes in, and then some, on new wells. That approach, however, can lead them to pile on debt, which can be their undoing during the next downturn. That’s why investors should look for oil companies that keep spending to within cash flow. Though the best ones spend much less than what comes in, which gives them excess cash that they can return to shareholders via dividends and buybacks. That more conservative approach helps ensure they don’t drill their own grave. An excellent example of an adept capital allocator is ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP). The U.S. oil giant aims to return 20% to 30% of its cash flow to investors via dividends and share buybacks each year while reinvesting the rest on oil projects that are profitable under $50 a barrel. Because of that more conservative approach, ConocoPhillips will avoid drilling itself into trouble by outspending cash flow on new wells to chase production growth. Many oil stocks provide detailed cash flow analysis on the most recent investor presentation posted to their website.  

Natural gas pipeline giant Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) and its MLP Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ) reported mixed second-quarter results after the close Wednesday. Earnings declined fractionally due to asset sales and some higher costs. Cash flow, on the other hand, moved slightly higher thanks in part to lower interest expenses as a result of  debt reduction. However, while both numbers underwhelmed in Q2, they should head much higher in the coming year because Williams has several expansion projects under way that should boost its bottom line.

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.

Simpler organizational structures could yield significant benefits for individual investors. In addition to being easier to follow and understand, it will make it easier than ever to own some of the most important pieces of energy infrastructure in the United States. The proposed merger between Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) and Williams Partners LP (NYSE:WPZ) is a great example, as it owns some of the best natural gas infrastructure in the United States. Here’s why investors should be bullish on the multi-billion dollar merger.

Whiting Petroleum Corp  (NYSE:WLL)Q4 2018 Earnings Conference CallFeb. 27, 2019, 11:00 a.m. ET

Contents:
Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants
Prepared Remarks:

Operator

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Whiting Petroleum Corp (NYSE:WLL) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $53.25, but opened at $51.53. Whiting Petroleum shares last traded at $52.01, with a volume of 68181 shares.

Often a high yield is an indication of a stock that’s facing some sort of trouble — but not always. If you take the time, you can find high-yield stocks worth buying if you look in the right places. For example, decidedly low-tech Lamar Advertising Company (NASDAQ:LAMR), beaten-up midstream player Magellan Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE:MMP), and renewable power-focused TerraForm Power, Inc. (NASDAQ:TERP) come from vastly different industries. However, each of these high-yield stocks has a solid business and good growth prospects.

With that in mind, we asked three Motley Fool investors to choose companies they believed would help baby boomers reach their goals. They offered convincing arguments for Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE:MMP), General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN).

Three companies that the market has walloped are Apache Corporation (NYSE:APA), Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP), and General Motors (NYSE:GM). Here’s why these stocks look like bargains, and why today might be a good time to scoop up some shares. 

Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE: MMP) and Noble Midstream Partners (NYSE:NBLX) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, dividends, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and earnings.

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Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) VP Thomas Mitchell Little sold 117,333 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.69, for a total value of $2,427,619.77. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 394,569 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,163,632.61. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

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. 

Melrose Industries (LON:MRO) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported GBX 5.80 ($0.07) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of GBX 4.40 ($0.06) by GBX 1.40 ($0.02), Digital Look Earnings reports. Melrose Industries had a negative return on equity of 4.75% and a negative net margin of 4.58%.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) put the wraps on a strong year by delivering solid fourth-quarter results, which came in slightly ahead of expectations. With that, the company exceeded its initial growth projection for the year while sticking to its budget, and was thus able to generate and return lots of cash to shareholders. The company expects more of the same in 2019 as its drilling machine aims to continue printing money.

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).

Ocean Rig UDW (NYSE: RIG) and Transocean (NYSE:RIG) are both mid-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, valuation, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Shares of RigNet are up more than 18% since the announcement. However, the company’s stock price had been in rally mode well before that news, rocketing 75% since the end of July. While some notable improvements in its second-quarter results likely helped ignite this rally, the company is also benefiting from the belief that the long-awaited offshore drilling recovery is beginning to unfold. The most recent comments supporting that view came from Transocean’s (NYSE:RIG) CEO Jeremy Thigpen. He stated last week that he expects lease rates on rigs to improve, and that contracting activity should pick up in late 2019. Based on that outlook, he said that “we are far more bullish than we have been historically,” which is one reason Transocean recently made another major acquisition.

Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) shares traded down 5.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $8.03 and last traded at $8.35. 14,556,095 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 5% from the average session volume of 13,824,703 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.83.

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.

Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) fell about 4.4% Tuesday to post a new 52-week low of $14.43 after closing at $15.09 on Monday. The 52-week high is $34.93. Volume of about 15 million was nearly double the daily average of around 7.7 million shares traded. The company had no specific news.

The stock posting the largest daily percentage gain in the S&P 500 ahead of the close Monday was Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) which rose about 6% to $16.05. The stock’s 52-week range is $11.93 to $25.96. Volume was 8.6 million compared to the daily average volume of 7.4 million.

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Media headlines about Range Resources (NYSE:RRC) have been trending somewhat positive on Saturday, Accern Sentiment Analysis reports. The research group identifies positive and negative press coverage by monitoring more than twenty million news and blog sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Range Resources earned a daily sentiment score of 0.07 on Accern’s scale. Accern also gave media headlines about the oil and gas exploration company an impact score of 46.3371462950661 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the stock’s share price in the near future.