Monday, October 27, 2014

10 Best Gas Stocks To Own For 2014

The natural upside to any midstream operation is the strong cash flow, a resource which if well used can help finance an important capital investment. Most importantly, the assets built can then be sold to oil and gas producers in order to reward those who trusted management with initial investments. That's it. There is not much of a secret behind midstream oil and gas companies. Hence, from this analyst�� point of view, the key element to success is quality leadership. Such a characteristic allows the business model to identify market trends, and transform synergies into real growth. Magellan Midstream (MMP) may just be the case that exemplifies the argument. However, gurus have not been too enthusiastic about the stock and trading volumes remain low. Let us see why, and if you should take a position.

Rolling Down the River

Last February, Magellan Midstream presented the full year report for 2013. In it one can find the overall improvement achieved during the year. Performance indicators for refined products and crude oil pipeline shipments, net income, total assets and cash distributions have all seen improvements. However, average utilization of crude oil and marine terminals have both experienced a small decline. Nonetheless, the report highlights the record performance achieved during the past year and resulting consolidated financial strength.

Top Promising Stocks To Invest In 2015: Newfield Exploration Co (NFX)

Newfield Exploration Company (Newfield), incorporated on December 5, 1988, is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The Company�� domestic areas of operation include the Mid-Continent, the Rocky Mountains and onshore Texas. Internationally, it focuses on offshore oil developments in Malaysia and China. As of December 31, 2011, it was in the process of drilling 16 gross (9.6 net) exploitation wells and 24 gross (19.7 net) development wells domestically. As of December 31, 2011, internationally, it was drilling one gross (0.6 net) exploratory well in Malaysia. In May 2011, the Company acquired assets in the Uinta Basin of Utah.

Resource Plays

As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned an interest in approximately 825,000 net acres in the Rocky Mountains area. Its assets are oil. It is an operator in the state of Utah, consisting approximately 30% of the state�� total oil production. It has approximately 230,000 net acres in the Uinta Basin and its operations in the Basin can be divided into two areas: its legacy Monument Butte and its position in the Central Basin, located immediately north and adjacent to Monument Butte. It has approximately 1,800 oil wells in the Green River formation in its Monument Butte field. Its acquisition of acreage north of Monument Butte added approximately 65,000 net acres, including the Uteland Butte and Wasatch formations. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it had drilled approximately 20 wells in these new plays with encouraging results. As of December 31, 2011, its net production from the Uinta Basin was approximately 22,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The Company has approximately 65,000 net acres under development on the Nesson Anticline of North Dakota and west of the Nesson. In addition, it has about 40,000 net acres in the mature Elm Coulee field, located in Richland County, Montana. As of December 31, 2011, it had! drilled 67 wells in North Dakota with production from the Bakken formation. Its acreage is also prospective for the Sanish/Three Forks formation. As of December 21, 2011, its net production was approximately 7,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day. It has approximately 340,000 net acres in the Southern Alberta Basin of northern Montana. Its activities in the Mid-Continent have been focused on two natural gas plays - the Arkoma Woodford and the Granite Wash. As of December 31, 2011, it had approximately 480,000 net acres in the Mid-Continent and its production was approximately 330 millions of cubic feet equivalent per day.

The Company has more than 300,000 net acres in Oklahoma�� Woodford play. Approximately 170,000 net acres are in the Arkoma Woodford Basin. As of December 31, 2011, its net daily production in the Arkoma Woodford was approximately 180 millions of cubic feet equivalent per day. As of December 31, 2011, it had more than 125,000 net acres in the Cana Woodford play, located in the Anadarko Basin. The Company has approximately 50,000 net acres in the Granite Wash, located in Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. As of December 31, 2011, its net production from the region was approximately 101 millions of cubic feet equivalent per day. Its producing field in the Granite Wash includes Stiles/Britt Ranch, where it operates and owns 17,000 net acres. During 2011, it ran three to four operated rigs in the Granite Wash. It has approximately 317,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford and Pearsall shales in the Maverick Basin, located in Maverick, Dimmit and Zavala counties, Texas. As of December 31, 2011, it completed a total of 54 wells in the basin and its production was approximately 3,800 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The acreage includes multiple geologic horizons, including the Georgetown, Glen Rose, Pearsall, Austin Chalk and the Eagle Ford.

Conventional Plays

The Company has operations in conventional plays onshore Texas, offshore Malaysia and China and! in the G! ulf of Mexico. As of December 31, 2011, it owned an interest in approximately 147,000 net acres in conventional onshore Texas plays with net production of approximately 88 millions of cubic feet equivalent per day. Its international activities are focused on offshore oil developments in Southeast Asia and China. It has production and active developments offshore Malaysia and the People�� Republic of China. As of February 21, 2012, its net production from Malaysia was at 29,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. It has an interest in approximately 925,000 net acres offshore Malaysia and approximately 290,000 net acres offshore the People�� Republic of China.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned interests in 91 deepwater leases and approximately 275,000 net acres. As of December 31, 2011, its net production from the Gulf of Mexico was approximately 75 millions of cubic feet equivalent per day. In February 2012, production commenced from its deepwater Pyrenees development, with net daily production of approximately 3,300 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Matt DiLallo]

    Kodiak has been working hard to get its well costs down, but it still has a long way to go. What's important for Kodiak investors to realize is that it's not an impossible task. For example, over the past year Newfield Exploration (NYSE: NFX  ) has been able to improve its well costs significantly. While its average well cost in the first quarter of this year was $9.8 million, more recent wells have been drilled for around $8.3 million.

  • [By Ben Eisen]

    Oil company Pioneer Natural Resources Co. (PXD) �fell 3%. Drilling company Noble Corp. PLC (NE) �fell 4.1%. Oil firm Newfield Exploration Co. (NFX) �slipped 3.5% and Halliburton Co. (HAL) �fell 3.3%.

10 Best Gas Stocks To Own For 2014: Parker Drilling Co (PAD)

Parker Drilling Company (Parker), incorporated on August 4, 1970, is a provider of contract drilling and drilling-related services. The Company operates in six segments: Rental Tools, U.S. Barge Drilling, U.S. Drilling, International Drilling, Technical Services and Construction Contract. During year ended December 31, 2012, the Company operated in 12 countries. The Company has operated in over 50 foreign countries and the United States. In April 2013, the Company announced the acquisition of International Tubular Services Limited and certain affiliates (ITS), subsidiaries of ITS Tubular Services (Holdings) Limited.

Rental Tools Business

The Company provide premium rental tools for land and offshore oil and natural gas drilling and provide equipment used for drilling, workover and production applications, such as drill pipe, heavy-weight drill pipe, tubing, high-torque connections, blow-out preventers (BOPs) and drill collars. The Company also hold an inventory of rental tools and provide service to its customers from locations in Louisiana, Texas, Wyoming, North Dakota and West Virginia.

U.S. Barge Drilling Business

The Company�� U.S. Gulf of Mexico barge rig fleet is marketed barge fleet in the GOM region, with rigs ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 horsepower with drilling depth capabilities ranging from 13,000 to over 30,000 feet. The Company�� rigs drill for oil, natural gas, and a combination of oil and natural gas in the shallow waters in and along the inland waterways and coasts of Louisiana, Alabama and Texas.

U.S. Drilling Business

The Company�� U.S. Drilling segment primarily consists of two new-design Arctic Alaska Drilling Unit (AADU) land rigs. In addition to the two AADU rigs, the Company has one land rig at its facility in New Iberia, Louisiana.

International Drilling Business

The Company�� international drilling business includes operations related to Parker-owned and operated ri! gs as well as customer-owned rigs. In addition, it perform drilling-related activities for operators who own their drilling rigs and who choose to utilize its drilling experience and technical expertise to perform services on a contracted basis, including Operations and Maintenance (O&M) work, and other project management services (such as labor, maintenance, and logistics).

Technical Services Business

The Company�� technical services business primarily includes its engagement in concept development, pre-FEED (Front End Engineering Design), Front End Engineering Design (FEED) and Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) projects. During the EPCI phase, it focuses primarily on the drilling systems engineering, procurement, commissioning and installation and provide customer support during construction. As of December 31, 2012, it provides these services on the Berkut platform project for Exxon Neftegas Limited (ENL).

Construction Contract Business

The Company�� construction contract segment includes only the BP-owned Liberty extended-reach drilling rig construction project. Under the consulting services agreement, it assisted BP in a review of the rig�� design, the creation of a new statement of requirements for the rig, and the transition of documentation and materials to BP.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By James Oberweis]

    Among our latest small-cap recommendations is a medical device company focused on developing minimally invasive treatment solutions for vascular disease, including peripheral artery disease (PAD) and coronary artery disease (CAD), explains Jim Oberweis, Editor of The Oberweis Report.

10 Best Gas Stocks To Own For 2014: PDC Energy Inc (PDCE)

PDC Energy, Inc. (PDC), incorporated on March 25, 1955, doing business as PDC Energy, is a domestic independent exploration and production company, which acquires, develops, explores, and produces natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and crude oil. Its Western Operating Region is focused on development in the Wattenberg Field in Colorado, particularly in the liquid-rich horizontal Niobrara play and on the ongoing development of refractures and recompletions of its Wattenberg wells. In its Eastern Operating Region, it is focused on development activity in the liquid-rich portion of the Utica Shale play in Ohio. The Company owns an interest in approximately 7,200 gross producing wells and maintained an average production rate of 135.6 One million cubic feet of natural gas volume (MMcfe) per day for the year ended December 31, 2012, which was comprised of 65.3% natural gas, 10.2% NGLs and 24.5% crude oil. It divides its operating activities into two segments: Oil and Gas Exploration and Production, and Gas Marketing. It divides its Western Operating Region into two areas: the Wattenberg Field and Piceance Basin. On February 28, 2012, the Company divested its Permian Basin assets. In May 2012, it announced that it has executed a definitive agreement to acquire Core Wattenberg assets that contain liquid-rich horizontal drilling opportunities. The effective date of the transaction is April 1, 2012. The assets are located in the Core Wattenberg Field of Weld and Adams Counties, Colorado and are approximately 94%-operated. The acquired assets include an estimated 35,000 net acres prospective for horizontal development of the Niobrara and Codell formations. In July 2012, the Company acquired core Wattenberg assets. In September 2012, Miller Energy Resources, Inc. acquired its Tennessee assets. On June 18, 2013, PDC Energy Inc announced that it has sold its non-core Colorado natural gas assets.

Oil and Gas Exploration and Production

The Company�� Oil and Gas Exploration and Prod! uction segment reflects revenues and expenses from the production and sale of natural gas, NGLs and crude oil. It sells its natural gas to marketers, utilities, industrial end-users and other wholesale purchasers. It sells natural gas, which it produces under contracts with indexed or New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) monthly pricing provisions with the remaining production sold under contracts with daily pricing provisions. Its contracts include provisions wherein prices change monthly with changes in the market, for which adjustments may be made based on whether a well delivers to a gathering or transmission line, quality of natural gas and prevailing supply and demand conditions. It does not refine any of its crude oil production. It sells its crude oil to oil marketers and refiners. Its crude oil production is sold to purchasers at or near its wells under both short and long-term purchase contracts with monthly pricing provisions based on an average daily price. Its NGLs are sold to one NGL marketer in the Wattenberg Field. Its NGL production is sold under both short and long-term purchase contracts with monthly pricing provisions based on an average daily price.

The Company�� Oil and Gas Exploration and Production segment also reflects revenues and expenses related to well operations and pipeline services. It is paid a monthly operating fee for the portion of each well it operates that is owned by others, including its affiliated partnerships. It constructs, owns and operates gathering systems in its areas of operations. Its natural gas and NGLs are transported through its own and third party gathering systems and pipelines. It enters into firm transportation agreements to provide for pipeline capacity to flow and sell a portion PDC Energy, Inc. (PDC), incorporated on March 25, 1955, doing business as PDC Energy, is a domestic independent exploration and production company, which acquires, develops, explores, and produces natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and crude oil. Its! Western ! Operating Region is focused on development in the Wattenberg Field in Colorado, particularly in the liquid-rich horizontal Niobrara play and on the ongoing development of refractures and recompletions of its Wattenberg wells. In its Eastern Operating Region, it is focused on development activity in the liquid-rich portion of the Utica Shale play in Ohio. The Company owns an interest in approximately 7,200 gross producing wells and maintained an average production rate of 135.6 One million cubic feet of natural gas volume (MMcfe) per day for the year ended December 31, 2012, which was comprised of 65.3% natural gas, 10.2% NGLs and 24.5% crude oil. It divides its operating activities into two segments: Oil and Gas Exploration and Production, and Gas Marketing. It divides its Western Operating Region into two areas: the Wattenberg Field and Piceance Basin. On February 28, 2012, the Company divested its Permian Basin assets. In May 2012, it announced that it has executed a definitive agreement to acquire Core Wattenberg assets that contain liquid-rich horizontal drilling opportunities. The effective date of the transaction is April 1, 2012. The assets are located in the Core Wattenberg Field of Weld and Adams Counties, Colorado and are approximately 94%-operated. The acquired assets include an estimated 35,000 net acres prospective for horizontal development of the Niobrara and Codell formations. In July 2012, the Company acquired core Wattenberg assets. In September 2012, Miller Energy Resources, Inc. acquired its Tennessee assets.

Oil and Gas Exploration and Production

The Company�� Oil and Gas Exploration and Production segment reflects revenues and expenses from the production and sale of natural gas, NGLs and crude oil. It sells its natural gas to marketers, utilities, industrial end-users and other wholesale purchasers. It sells natural gas, which it produces under contracts with indexed or New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) monthly pricing provisions with the remaining p! roduction! sold under contracts with daily pricing provisions. Its contracts include provisions wherein prices change monthly with changes in the market, for which adjustments may be made based on whether a well delivers to a gathering or transmission line, quality of natural gas and prevailing supply and demand conditions. It does not refine any of its crude oil production. It sells its crude oil to oil marketers and refiners. Its crude oil production is sold to purchasers at or near its wells under both short and long-term purchase contracts with monthly pricing provisions based on an average daily price. Its NGLs are sold to one NGL marketer in the Wattenberg Field. Its NGL production is sold under both short and long-term purchase contracts with monthly pricing provisions based on an average daily price.

The Company�� Oil and Gas Exploration and Production segment also reflects revenues and expenses related to well operations and pipeline services. It is paid a monthly operating fee for the portion of each well it operates that is owned by others, including its affiliated partnerships. It constructs, owns and operates gathering systems in its areas of operations. Its natural gas and NGLs are transported through its own and third party gathering systems and pipelines. It enters into firm transportation agreements to provide for pipeline capacity to flow and sell a portion

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

    PDC Energy (Nasdaq: PDCE  ) reported earnings on May 1. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), PDC Energy whiffed on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

  • [By Garrett Cook]

    Energy shares dropped around 0.22 percent in today’s trading. Top decliners in the sector included Daqo New Energy (NYSE: DQ), PDC Energy (NASDAQ: PDCE), and YPF SA (NYSE: YPF).

  • [By Garrett Cook]

    Energy shares dropped around 0.22 percent in today’s trading. Top decliners in the sector included Daqo New Energy (NYSE: DQ), PDC Energy (NASDAQ: PDCE), and YPF SA (NYSE: YPF).

10 Best Gas Stocks To Own For 2014: Phillips 66 Partners LP (PSXP)

Phillips 66 Partners LP, incorporated on February 20, 2013, owns, operates, develops and acquires primarily fee-based crude oil, refined petroleum product and natural gas liquids (NGL) pipelines and terminals and other transportation and midstream assets. The Company�� initial assets consist of the three systems, which include Clifton Ridge crude system, Sweeny to Pasadena products system and Hartford Connector products system. A refined petroleum product pipeline, terminal and storage system extending from Phillips 66�� Sweeny refinery in Old Ocean, Texas, to its refined petroleum product terminal in Pasadena, Texas, and ultimately connecting to the Explorer and Colonial refined petroleum product pipeline systems and other third-party pipeline and terminal systems.

A crude oil pipeline, terminal and storage system located in Sulphur, Louisiana, that is the primary source for delivery of crude oil to Phillips 66�� Lake Charles refinery. A refined petroleum product pipeline, terminal and storage system located in Hartford, Illinois, that distributes diesel and gasoline produced at the Wood River refinery (a refinery owned by a joint venture between Phillips 66 and Cenovus Energy Inc.) to third-party pipeline and terminal systems, including the Explorer refined petroleum product pipeline system.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Aimee Duffy]

    The surge of master limited partnership initial public offerings continued this week, as Phillips 66 Partners (NYSE: PSXP  ) and Marlin Midstream Partners� (NASDAQ: FISH  ) commenced trading. In this video, Fool.com contributor Aimee Duffy looks at both of these IPOs, breaking down the potential opportunities for investors.

  • [By Robert Rapier]

    Refiners that have spun off midstream assets have done very well over the past years.�Valero Energy Partners�(NYSE: VLP) is up nearly 60 percent since its December IPO,�Phillips 66 Partners�(NYSE: PSXP) has more than doubled since its July IPO (and is the biggest gainer among MLPs year-to-date), and�MPLX�(NYSE: MPLX) — formed from�Marathon Petroleum�(NYSE: MPC) — is up 110 percent since its November 2012 IPO.

10 Best Gas Stocks To Own For 2014: GasLog Ltd (GLOG)

GasLog Ltd. (GasLog), incorporated on July 16, 2003, is an owner, operator and manager of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. The Company is a holding company. Its subsidiaries conduct all of its operations and own all of its operating assets, including its ships. The Company operates in two segments: vessel ownership and vessel management. In the vessel ownership segment, the services provided primarily consist of chartering out company-owned LNG carriers, and in the vessel management segment the services provided consist of LNG carrier technical management services, as well as LNG carrier construction supervision services and other vessel management services provided to the Company�� vessel ownership segment and to external third parties.

In February 2011, GasLog Carriers Ltd. established two vessel-owning companies, GAS-five Ltd. and GAS-six Ltd. In March 2011, GasLog Carriers Ltd. established two vessel-owning companies, GAS-seven Ltd. and GAS-eight Ltd. In June 2011, GasLog Carriers Ltd. established two additional vessel-owning companies, GAS-nine Ltd. and GAS-ten Ltd. In June 2011, Ceres Shipping Ltd. (Ceres Shipping) transferred its interest in GasLog Ltd. to Blenheim Holdings Ltd. (Blenheim Holdings). In June 2011, an entity jointly owned by the Livanos and Radziwill families (Joint Venture Partner) sold its 49% interest in GAS-three Ltd., GAS-four Ltd., GAS-five Ltd. and GAS-six Ltd. to Ceres Shipping. Ceres Shipping contributed the 49% interest in GAS-three Ltd., GAS-four Ltd., GAS-five Ltd. and GAS-six Ltd. to Blenheim Holdings, who in turn contributed the 49% interest in these four vessel-owning companies to GasLog Ltd., which contributed the same to GasLog Carriers Ltd. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 100% interest in GAS-three Ltd., GAS-four Ltd., GAS-five Ltd. and GAS-six Ltd. On July 11, 2011 and September 5, 2011, the Company transferred its interest of two dormant subsidiaries, GasLog Holdings Limited and GasLog Services Limited, respectively, to Ceres Shi! pping.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� owned fleet consisted of 10 wholly owned LNG carriers. As of December 31, 2011, the Company managed and operated 14 LNG carriers, which included its owned ships, as well as 11 ships owned or leased by BG Group plc (BG Group), a participant in the worldwide energy and natural gas markets, and one additional LNG carrier in which it had a 25% interest. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned a 25% interest in Egypt LNG Shipping Ltd. (Egypt LNG), whose principal asset is the LNG carrier Methane Nile Eagle. The Company�� owned fleet includes the GasLog Savannah, the GasLog Singapore, four LNG carriers on order at Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (Samsung Heavy Industries) in South Korea, two LNG carriers on order at Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea, and two LNG carriers on order at Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea.

The Company�� wholly owned subsidiary, GasLog LNG Services Ltd., (GasLog LNG Services) handles the technical management of its fleet. Through GasLog LNG Services, it provides technical ship management services for 12 LNG carriers owned by third parties in addition to management of the two LNG carriers operating in its owned fleet. The Company provides the services of its owned ships under time charters. The Company�� subsidiaries include GasLog Investments Ltd., GasLog Monaco S.A.M., Ceres LNG Employee Incentive Scheme Ltd., GasLog Carriers Ltd., GAS-one Ltd., GAS-two Ltd., GAS-three Ltd., GAS-four Ltd., GasLog Shipping Company Ltd., GasLog Shipping Limited and Egypt LNG Shipping Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jan-e- Alam]

    GasLog (NYSE: GLOG  ) shares have come under pressure recently, as the news of the recent transaction between Teekay LNG Partners (NYSE: TGP  ) and BG Group (NASDAQOTH: BRGYY  ) raised growth concerns among investors. I will get to the details of the transaction and why I think the deal was not for GasLog later, but let's first take a look at GasLog and why I think the company stands to benefit from the liquefied natural gas (LNG) boom.

  • [By Robert Rapier]

    GasLog�(NYSE: GLOG) owns, operates, and manages a fleet of LNG carriers. Two ships were delivered in 2010, five in 2013 and eight LNG carriers are on order. In January the company announced the intention to spin off assets into an MLP that would own certain of GLOG�� LNG carriers with multi-year charters.

  • [By Stephen Quickel]

    Gaslog Limited (GLOG)

    This Monaco-based company owns and operates a sizeable fleet of ocean-going liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, which it charters out and manages for others. Earnings are expected to grow 32% a year. Thirteen of 14 analysts rate it a Strong Buy or Buy.

  • [By Rich Duprey]

    LNG carrier owner-operator GasLog (NYSE: GLOG  ) will pay a second-quarter dividend of $0.11 per share, the same rate it's paid for the last two quarters after initiating its dividend payment, the company announced today.

10 Best Gas Stocks To Own For 2014: Bison Petroleum Corp (BISN)

Bison Petroleum Corp. (Bison), incorporated on February 9, 2010, is an independent American oil and gas company founded to provide the United States energy security by developing and producing oil and gas from the nation's energy heartlands. Bison's holdings are located in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming.

On August 9, 2013, he Company entered into a Lease Purchase Agreement with Nelan Advisors Corporation (Nelan), whereby Nelan sold certain oil and gas leases issued by the State of Wyoming to Bison. Bison focuses to commence oil and gas drilling operations on these leases.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Peter Graham]

    On Friday, small cap stocks Bison Petroleum Corp (OTCMKTS: BISN) and Interactive Leisure Systems Inc (OTCMKTS: IALS) sank 16.27% and 16%, respectively, and despite being the subject of recent paid promotions or investor relation campaigns. Of course, there is nothing wrong with a properly disclosed stock promotion or paid for investor relations campaigns, but investors and traders alike need to be careful about how they get into and exit such stocks before getting badly burned. With that in mind, here is a quick look at both small cap stocks to help you decide on an investment or trading strategy for this week:

    Bison Petroleum Corp (OTCMKTS: BISN) Has Given Another Corporate Update

    Small cap Bison Petroleum Corp is a publicly traded oil and gas exploration and development company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and dedicated to the exploration and development of domestic Energy in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming. On Friday, Bison Petroleum Corp sank 16.27% to $1.39 for a market cap of $65.35 million plus BISN is up 396.4% since last June according to Google Finance.

10 Best Gas Stocks To Own For 2014: Pacific Drilling SA (PACD)

Pacific Drilling S.A., incorporated on March 22, 2011, is an international offshore drilling Company. The Company is a provider of ultra-deepwater drilling services to the oil and natural gas industry through the use of high-specification drilling rigs. The Company�� primary business is to contract its ultra-deepwater drilling rigs, related equipment and work crews, primarily on a dayrate basis, to drill wells for its customers. The Company is primarily focused on the ultra-deepwater market. The Company generally consider ultra-deepwater to begin at water depths of more than 7,500 feet and to extend to the maximum water depths, in which rigs are capable of drilling, which is approximately 12,000 feet.

The Company operates four drillships and has four drillships under construction, two of which are under customer contract. In connection with the Restructuring, the Company�� Predecessor was contributed to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company by a subsidiary of Quantum Pacific International Limited.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    On the surface, offshore drilling stocks appear inexpensive with multiples at the low end of historical ranges and many stocks trading below book values. While contrarian and deep value players are beginning to nibble, we believe the offshore floating rig companies are still in the early innings of a cyclical downturn in utilization and dayrates. After a decade of good times, the deepwater drilling rig market is facing a multiyear down-cycle. Historically, most offshore drilling cycles have been short-lived as there have usually been sudden demand shocks that tend to self correct relatively quickly. This time, it is more of a new rig supply problem compounded by a moderation in offshore spending from the suddenly ��eturn driven��multinational major oil companies. That means this down-cycle should be more drawn out than usual. Specifically, we think the downturn will take about three years to play out with average floater day-rates falling about 25% with over 60 floating rigs needing to be stacked (either warm stacked or cold stacked). More importantly for investors, we think consensus 2016 floater estimates (on average) are still about 25% too high. Put another way, earnings multiples are not as attractive as some now think, in our view. Obviously, the lower-end, older floating assets will be hit the hardest. While everyone loses in this environment, we are more comfortable in owning companies with higher-quality assets that also carry higher floater contract coverage, as we expect this to provide relative safety during this downturn. Specifically, we relatively favor Ocean Rig UDW (ORIG), Pacific Drilling (PACD), and Rowan, given their high-specification exposure. Of course, this downturn is not limited to the floater side of the offshore arena. Next week, we will detail our expectations for the timing and magnitude of the utilization and dayrate declines for the offshore jackup space.

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