Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 6 stocks made the list for top value stocks in the Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production industry. Those looking for value stocks to add to their portfolio may want to use this list as a starting point for further investment research.

Latest Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stock News

Before choosing which top Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production stock to buy, be sure to conduct proper due diligence: analyze various financial metrics and look at historical data, public statements and news coverage.

The outlook for the oil and gas exploration and production sub-industry is mostly favorable for the foreseeable future. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a major oil shock occurred in 2020. Since then, crude oil prices have begun to recover, currently priced at around $60 per barrel as a result of persistent supply cuts by the OPEC-Plus Consortium. While the demand perspective remains uncertain, from a supply perspective, both OPEC and non-OPEC participants have a conservative production outlook in 2021. The most significant unknown factor is the potential lifting of Iran sanctions by the Biden administration and its impact. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), oil demand is expected to increase by about 5.4 mmb/d, to 96.4 mmb/d in 2021. While this appears to be a strong year-over-year increase, it is well in line with the 2019 demand of around 100 mmb/d, signifying only a 60% recovery from the pandemic. In May 2021, the EIA forecasted WTI crude oil prices as $59 dollars per barrel in 2021 and $57 per barrel in 2022. At these price points, exploration and production operations are expected to generate significant free cashflow.

Why Focus on Undervalued Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks?

Value investors seek to buy stocks at a discount to their intrinsic value. Long-term returns show that such strategies are advantageous. Value stocks, as a group, tend to outperform growth stocks over extended periods of time. Typically, value investors perform financial analysis of numerous metrics, don’t follow the herd and are long-term investors.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade is derived from a stock’s Value Score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

What Goes Into AAII’s Value Grade?

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data as well as the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movement. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors with that task.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A–F grades for more than just value. It is possible for a stock to appear cheap based on one valuation metric but appear expensive on another. It is also possible for one valuation ratio to be associated with outperforming stocks during certain periods of time but not others. Some stocks may even have null values for certain metrics like the price-earnings ratio or the price-to-book ratio but not others. An example of this would be a company with losses instead of profits or a negative book value because of heavy borrowing. Negative earnings or book value result in non-meaningful ratios that are left blank or null.

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6 Undervalued Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 6 undervalued stocks in the Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production industry for Wednesday, January 10, 2024. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production industry median.

The Value Grade is assigned based on how each stock’s composite valuation compares to all other stocks.

The process for assigning grades starts with each variable for a given stock. The percentile rankings for all valid ratios that a stock has are calculated. So, for instance, a stock could have a price-to-book ranking in the 43rd percentile, a price-earnings ranking in the 67th percentile, a price-to-sales ranking in the 23rd percentile, etc. Then, those rankings are averaged for each stock. (A minimum of two valid variables are required, though all six will be used if available.)

Once the average of the individual variables is calculated, that average is ranked against all stocks. Put another way, each stock’s composite valuation is compared to all other stocks. These ranks are then sorted into quintiles from the cheapest 20% (a grade of A) to the most expensive 20% (a grade of F).

As always, we recommend that you conduct proper due diligence and research before investing in any security. We also suggest that investors utilize numerous grades, not just value, when it comes to deciding whether a company is a good fit for their allocation needs.

Baytex Energy Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Baytex Energy Corp. is a Canada-based energy company. The Company is engaged in the acquisition, development and production of crude oil and natural gas in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin and in the Eagle Ford in the United States. Its crude oil and natural gas operations are organized into three main operating areas: Light Oil USA (Eagle Ford), Light Oil Canada (Pembina Duvernay / Viking) and Heavy Oil Canada (Peace River / Peavine / Lloydminster). Its Eagle Ford assets are located in the core of the liquids-rich Eagle Ford shale in South Texas. The Eagle Ford shale covers approximately 162,000 net acres of crude oil operations. Its Viking assets are located in the Dodsland area in southwest Saskatchewan and in the Esther area of southeastern Alberta. It also holds 100% working interest land position in the East Duvernay resource play in central Alberta.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Baytex Energy Corp has a Value Score of 88, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Baytex Energy Corp’s price-to-sales ratio at 1.13 compared to the industry median at 1.84, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Baytex Energy Corp’s stock more attractive for value investors.

Baytex Energy Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 2.56 compared to the industry median at 7.34. This means it has a lower share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Baytex Energy Corp more attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Baytex Energy Corp’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 4.4, when compared to the industry median of 4.5, the company may be considered undervalued in relation to its peers. Value investors could use the enterprise multiple to identify stocks that are considered overvalued or undervalued relative to their industry.

Shareholder yield is the sum of a stock’s dividend yield (paid over previous 12 months minus special dividends) and the percentage of net share buybacks over the previous 12 months. Baytex Energy Corp’s shareholder yield is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.36%. Value investors may look for an attractive shareholder yield because it can be a powerful tool for identifying if the company has a good management team.

As one of the most common value metrics, the price-to-book ratio evaluates a company’s current market price relative to its book value. Baytex Energy Corp’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.23. This could make Baytex Energy Corp more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at Baytex Energy Corp’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Baytex Energy Corp’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 7.54. This could make Baytex Energy Corp more attractive because the lower P/FCF ratio indicates that Baytex Energy Corp is undervalued. The P/FCF ratio metric can also be viewed over a long-term time frame to see if the company's cash flow to share price value is generally improving or worsening.

Eca Marcellus Trust I’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

ECA Marcellus Trust I (the Trust) is a statutory trust. The Trust does not conduct any operations or activities. The Trust owns royalty interests in approximately 14 Producing Wells and royalty interests in over 52 horizontal natural gas development wells to be drilled to the Marcellus Shale formation (the PUD Wells) within the area of mutual interest (AMI), in which ECA holds approximately 9,300 acres, of which it owned all of the working interests, in Greene County, Pennsylvania. The Trust also holds royalty interests in over 40 development wells that are in production. The Trust subsidiaries include Greylock Production, LLC (Greylock Production), which serves as operator of the subject wells, and Greylock Midstream, LLC (Greylock Midstream), whose subsidiaries market and gather certain of the gas. The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. serves as Trustee.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Eca Marcellus Trust I has a Value Score of 97, which is considered to be undervalued.

Eca Marcellus Trust I’s price-earnings ratio is 2.9 compared to the industry median at 7.3. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Eca Marcellus Trust I more attractive for value investors.

Eca Marcellus Trust I’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Eca Marcellus Trust I less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.23.

You can read more about Eca Marcellus Trust I’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Gulf Coast Ultra Deep Royalty Trust’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Gulf Coast Ultra Deep Royalty Trust (the Royalty Trust) is a statutory trust. The Company holds overriding royalty interest in future production from each of McMoRan's Inboard Lower Tertiary/Cretaceous exploration prospects located in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico and onshore in South Louisiana. The Royalty Trust's reserve fund short-term investments include United States treasury securities. The Company's subject interests consist of approximately 20 specified Inboard Lower Tertiary/Cretaceous. The offshore subject interests consisted of exploration prospects, including Barataria, Barbosa, Blackbeard East, Blackbeard West, Blackbeard West, Bonnet, Calico Jack, Captain Blood, Davy Jones, Davy Jones West, Drake, England, Hook, Hurricane, Lafitte, Morgan, and Queen Anne's Revenge. The Company?s onshore subject interests consisted of Highlander, Lineham Creek, and Tortuga.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Gulf Coast Ultra Deep Royalty Trust has a Value Score of 73, which is considered to be undervalued.

Gulf Coast Ultra Deep Royalty Trust’s price-earnings ratio is 2.8 compared to the industry median at 7.3. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Gulf Coast Ultra Deep Royalty Trust more attractive for value investors.

Gulf Coast Ultra Deep Royalty Trust’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Gulf Coast Ultra Deep Royalty Trust more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.23.

You can read more about Gulf Coast Ultra Deep Royalty Trust’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Range Resources Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Range Resources Corporation is an independent natural gas and natural gas liquids producer with operations focused on projects in the Appalachian Basin. It is engaged in the exploration, development and acquisition of natural gas and oil properties in the United States. Its principal area of operations is the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania. Its natural gas and oil operations are concentrated in the Appalachian region of the United States, in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania. Its properties consist of interests in developed and undeveloped natural gas and oil leases. It owns over 1,428 net producing wells in Pennsylvania. Its reserves are primarily in the Marcellus Shale formation but also include the Utica and Upper Devonian formations. It has approximately 894,000 gross acres under lease. Its subsidiaries include Range Resources-Appalachia, LLC, Range Resources-Pine Mountain, LLC, Range Production Company, LLC, Range Resources-Midcontinent, LLC and Range Resources-Louisiana, Inc.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Range Resources Corp has a Value Score of 70, which is considered to be undervalued.

Range Resources Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 5.5 compared to the industry median at 7.3. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Range Resources Corp more attractive for value investors.

Range Resources Corp’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Range Resources Corp more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.23.

You can read more about Range Resources Corp’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

SandRidge Energy Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

SandRidge Energy, Inc. is an independent oil and natural gas company that is focused on the acquisition and development of oil and gas properties. The Company?s primary areas of operation are the Mid-Continent region in Oklahoma and Kansas. The Company holds interests in over 1,471 gross producing wells, approximately 992 of which it operates, and approximately 551,000 gross total acres under lease located primarily in Oklahoma and Kansas. Its productive wells consist of wells that are producing hydrocarbons. The Company sells its oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs) to a range of customers, including oil and natural gas companies and trading and energy marketing companies. The Company?s subsidiaries include Lariat Services, Inc., SandRidge Exploration and Production, LLC, SandRidge Holdings, Inc., SandRidge Midstream, Inc., SandRidge Operating Company and SandRidge Realty, LLC.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

SandRidge Energy Inc has a Value Score of 90, which is considered to be undervalued.

SandRidge Energy Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 3.1 compared to the industry median at 7.3. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes SandRidge Energy Inc more attractive for value investors.

SandRidge Energy Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make SandRidge Energy Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.23.

You can read more about SandRidge Energy Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Viper Energy Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Viper Energy, Inc., formerly Viper Energy Partners LP, owns, acquires, and exploits oil and natural gas properties in North America. The Company is focused on owning and acquiring mineral and royalty interests in oil-weighted basins, primarily the Permian Basin. The Permian Basin consists of approximately 75,000 square miles centered around Midland, Texas. The Company’s assets consist of mineral and royalty interests underlying 775,180 gross acres and 26,315 net royalty acres in the Permian Basin. The estimated proved oil and natural gas reserves of its assets are approximately 148,900 thousand barrels of crude oil equivalent (MBOE). Of these reserves, approximately 72% are classified as proved developed producing reserves. The Company's proved undeveloped reserves include approximately 525 gross horizontal well locations. Its proved reserves include approximately 53% oil, 23% natural gas liquids and 24% natural gas.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Viper Energy Inc has a Value Score of 71, which is considered to be undervalued.

Viper Energy Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 13.5 compared to the industry median at 7.3. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Viper Energy Inc less attractive for value investors.

Viper Energy Inc’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Viper Energy Inc more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.23.

You can read more about Viper Energy Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Other Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stock Grades

Value is just one of the five Stock Grades included in our A+ Investor service. AAII members can see the top-graded stocks—those with grades of A or B for value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality—on the A+ Stock Grades Screener.

Also, if you want full access to all of AAII’s premium services, you can subscribe to one convenient bundled plan called AAII Platinum where you can try out A+ Investor, AAII Dividend Investing, the Stock Superstars Report, Growth Investing and VMQ Stocks. With the other premium services, you can dive deep into additional metrics, portfolios, commentary and information about Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production stocks as well as other industrys.

Choosing Which of the 6 Best Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks Is Right for You

Choosing which value stocks to invest in will ultimately depend on your individual goals and allocation; however, comparing similar value stocks in the same industry can help you analyze which might be better investments for you in the long run. So, let’s take a look at the Value Grade for all of our stocks.

• Baytex Energy Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Eca Marcellus Trust I stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Gulf Coast Ultra Deep Royalty Trust stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Range Resources Corp stock has a Value Grade of B.
• SandRidge Energy Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Viper Energy Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 6 undervalued stocks in the Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production industry as well as their overall grades, it’s time for you to conduct additional research to see if these could fit your portfolio needs based on your goals and risk tolerance. AAII can help you figure out both and identify which investments align with what works best for you.

We do so through a program of education that teaches you to invest for yourself and become an effective manager of your own wealth—no more relying on others for your financial independence. You can rely on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis that makes you a better investor.

A+ Investor adds to that qualitative teaching by giving you a powerful data suite that helps you whittle down investment decisions to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Additional Resources About Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks

Want to learn more about Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production stocks to see if they could be the right investment for you? Check out some additional resources and articles to help you on your financial journey.

• 6 Undervalued Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks for Wednesday, January 10
• What You Need to Know About Advantage Energy Ltd's Q3 Earnings
• What You Need to Know About Antero Resources Corp's Q3 Earnings
• What You Need to Know About APA Corp (US)'s Q3 Earnings

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