Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 7 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.
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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7 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 7 undervalued stocks in the Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production industry for Thursday, February 22, 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.
| Company | Ticker | Price/Sales | Price/Earnings | EV/EBITDA | Shareholder Yield | Price/Book Value | Price/Free Cash Flow | Value Grade |
| Advantage Energy Ltd | AAV | 2.13 | 7.5 | 3.7 | 10.2% | 0.78 | na | A |
| Civitas Resources Inc | CIVI | 1.78 | 7.0 | 4.4 | (1.4%) | 0.94 | 4.4 | A |
| CNX Resources Corp | CNX | 2.40 | 2.2 | 7.3 | 11.3% | 0.76 | 27.5 | B |
| Crescent Energy Co | CRGY | 0.79 | 83.1 | 4.5 | 3.8% | 1.19 | 10.6 | B |
| Devon Energy Corp | DVN | 1.82 | 7.5 | 4.8 | 8.4% | 2.41 | 6.4 | A |
| Marathon Oil Corp | MRO | 2.11 | 8.8 | 4.7 | 11.9% | 1.27 | 4.1 | A |
| Paramount Resources Ltd | PRMRF | 2.08 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 3.8% | 1.18 | 8.0 | A |
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.
Advantage Energy Ltd’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | AAV | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 59 | 2.13 | 1.91 |
| Price/Earnings | 15 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| EV/EBITDA | 11 | 3.7 | 4.6 |
| Shareholder Yield | 8 | 10.2% | 1.5% |
| Price/Book Value | 21 | 0.78 | 1.30 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 8.1 |
Advantage Energy Ltd. is a Canada-based energy producer. The Company is focused on development and delineation of its world class Montney natural gas and liquids resource at Glacier, Wembley/Pipestone, Valhalla and Progress, Alberta. The Company’s Montney assets are located from approximately 4-80 kilometers (km) northwest of the city of Grande Prairie, Alberta. Its land holdings consist of 228 net sections (145,920 net acres) of liquids-rich Montney lands at Glacier, Valhalla, Progress and Pipestone/Wembley.
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.
Advantage Energy Ltd has a Value Score of 93, which is considered to be undervalued.
When you look at Advantage Energy Ltd’s price-to-sales ratio at 2.13 compared to the industry median at 1.91, this company has a higher price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Advantage Energy Ltd’s stock less attractive for value investors.
Advantage Energy Ltd’s price-earnings ratio is 7.54 compared to the industry median at 7.52. This means it has a higher share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Advantage Energy Ltd less attractive for value investors.
Now, let’s assess Advantage Energy Ltd’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 3.7, when compared to the industry median of 4.6, 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. Advantage Energy Ltd’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of 1.47%. 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. Advantage Energy Ltd’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.30. This could make Advantage Energy Ltd more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.
Civitas Resources Inc’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | CIVI | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 53 | 1.78 | 1.91 |
| Price/Earnings | 12 | 7.0 | 7.5 |
| EV/EBITDA | 15 | 4.4 | 4.6 |
| Shareholder Yield | 61 | (1.4%) | 1.5% |
| Price/Book Value | 27 | 0.94 | 1.30 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 10 | 4.4 | 8.1 |
Civitas Resources, Inc. is an independent, domestic oil and gas producer focused on development of its assets in the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) and Permian Basins. The Company’s operations are focused along the Denver-Julesburg (DJ), Delaware and Midland Basins. Its development facilities are located in counties across the Front Range of northern and central Colorado, as well as Southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. Its acreage position in the DJ Basin is about 470,000 net acres and, in the Permian Basin, it is about 70,000 net acres. The Company has a total production of about 280,000 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE).
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.
Civitas Resources Inc has a Value Score of 84, which is considered to be undervalued.
Civitas Resources Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 7.0 compared to the industry median at 7.5. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Civitas Resources Inc more attractive for value investors.
Civitas Resources Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Civitas Resources Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.30.
You can read more about Civitas Resources 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.
CNX Resources Corp’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | CNX | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 63 | 2.40 | 1.91 |
| Price/Earnings | 2 | 2.2 | 7.5 |
| EV/EBITDA | 35 | 7.3 | 4.6 |
| Shareholder Yield | 7 | 11.3% | 1.5% |
| Price/Book Value | 19 | 0.76 | 1.30 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 65 | 27.5 | 8.1 |
CNX Resources Corporation is an independent low carbon intensity natural gas development, production, midstream and technology company centered in the Appalachian Basin. The majority of its operations are centered on unconventional shale formations, primarily the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale, in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. Additionally, it operates and develops Coalbed Methane (CBM) properties in Virginia. It has rights to extract natural gas from Shale formations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio from approximately 527,000 net Marcellus Shale acres and approximately 607,000 net Utica Shale acres. The Company holds approximately 53,000 acres of incremental Upper Devonian acres. It has rights to extract CBM in Virginia from approximately 278,000 net CBM acres. It extracts CBM natural gas primarily from the Pocahontas #3 seam. It has rights to extract natural gas from other Shale and shallow oil and gas formations, primarily in Illinois, Indiana, New York, and others.
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.
CNX Resources Corp has a Value Score of 80, which is considered to be undervalued.
CNX Resources Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 2.2 compared to the industry median at 7.5. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes CNX Resources Corp more attractive for value investors.
CNX Resources Corp’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make CNX Resources Corp less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.30.
You can read more about CNX 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.
Crescent Energy Co’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | CRGY | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 29 | 0.79 | 1.91 |
| Price/Earnings | 92 | 83.1 | 7.5 |
| EV/EBITDA | 15 | 4.5 | 4.6 |
| Shareholder Yield | 23 | 3.8% | 1.5% |
| Price/Book Value | 37 | 1.19 | 1.30 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 32 | 10.6 | 8.1 |
Crescent Energy Company is an independent energy company. The Company is engaged in the acquiring and developing a portfolio of energy assets. Its asset bases include oil and natural gas assets in onshore United States basins, such as the Eagle Ford, Rockies, Barnett, Permian, and Mid-Con. The Company has a portfolio of assets in various regions across the United States in approximately 48 states, primarily focused on Texas and the Rockies. Its portfolio includes oil and natural gas assets, and operations are located onshore in the United States basins, such as the Eagle Ford, Rockies, Barnett, Permian, and Mid-Con. The Company seeks to invest in energy assets and deliver operations.
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.
Crescent Energy Co has a Value Score of 69, which is considered to be undervalued.
Crescent Energy Co’s price-earnings ratio is 83.1 compared to the industry median at 7.5. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Crescent Energy Co less attractive for value investors.
Crescent Energy Co’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Crescent Energy Co less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.30.
You can read more about Crescent Energy Co’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.
Devon Energy Corp’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | DVN | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 54 | 1.82 | 1.91 |
| Price/Earnings | 15 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| EV/EBITDA | 17 | 4.8 | 4.6 |
| Shareholder Yield | 10 | 8.4% | 1.5% |
| Price/Book Value | 64 | 2.41 | 1.30 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 17 | 6.4 | 8.1 |
Devon Energy Corporation is an independent energy company. The Company is engaged primarily in the exploration, development and production of oil, natural gas and natural gas and natural gas liquids. The Company?s oil and gas properties include the Delaware Basin, Anadarko Basin, Williston Basin, Eagle Ford, and Powder River Basin. The Delaware Basin operates approximately 16 rigs that offer exploration and development opportunities from geologic reservoirs, including the Wolfcamp, Bone Spring, Avalon, and Delaware formations. The Company's Anadarko Basin is located primarily in Oklahoma?s Canadian, Kingfisher and Blaine counties. It operates approximately four rig programs associated with this joint venture. The Williston Basin is located on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, and its operations are focused on the oil-prone Bakken and Three Forks formations. The Eagle Ford operations are located in Texas DeWitt and Karnes counties.
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.
Devon Energy Corp has a Value Score of 84, which is considered to be undervalued.
Devon Energy Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 7.5 compared to the industry median at 7.5. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Devon Energy Corp fairly attractive for value investors.
Devon Energy Corp’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Devon Energy Corp more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.30.
You can read more about Devon Energy 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.
Marathon Oil Corp’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | MRO | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 59 | 2.11 | 1.91 |
| Price/Earnings | 20 | 8.8 | 7.5 |
| EV/EBITDA | 17 | 4.7 | 4.6 |
| Shareholder Yield | 6 | 11.9% | 1.5% |
| Price/Book Value | 40 | 1.27 | 1.30 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 9 | 4.1 | 8.1 |
Marathon Oil Corporation is an exploration and production company. The Company is focused on the United States resource plays, which includes the Eagle Ford in Texas, the Bakken in North Dakota, Sooner Trend Anadarko Basin Canadian and Kingfisher Counties (STACK) and South-Central Oklahoma Oil Province (SCOOP) in Oklahoma and Permian in New Mexico and Texas. The Company operates through two segments: United States and International. The United States segment explores, produces and markets crude oil and condensate, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and natural gas in the United States. The International segment explores, produces and markets crude oil and condensate, NGLs and natural gas outside of the United States, as well as produces and markets products manufactured from natural gas, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and methanol, in Equatorial Guinea (E.G.). Its subsidiaries include Alba Associates LLC, Alba Equatorial Guinea Partnership, L.P., Alba Plant LLC and AMPCO Marketing, L.L.C.
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.
Marathon Oil Corp has a Value Score of 90, which is considered to be undervalued.
Marathon Oil Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 8.8 compared to the industry median at 7.5. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Marathon Oil Corp less attractive for value investors.
Marathon Oil Corp’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Marathon Oil Corp fairly attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.30.
You can read more about Marathon Oil 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.
Paramount Resources Ltd’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | PRMRF | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 58 | 2.08 | 1.91 |
| Price/Earnings | 12 | 6.8 | 7.5 |
| EV/EBITDA | 31 | 6.8 | 4.6 |
| Shareholder Yield | 23 | 3.8% | 1.5% |
| Price/Book Value | 37 | 1.18 | 1.30 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 23 | 8.0 | 8.1 |
Paramount Resources Ltd. is a Canada-based energy company. The Company explores and develops both conventional and unconventional petroleum and natural gas. It also pursues longer-term strategic exploration and pre-development plays and holds a portfolio of investments in other entities. Its principal properties are located in Alberta and British Columbia. The Company's operations are organized into three regions: the Grande Prairie Region, located in the Peace River Arch area of Alberta, which is focused on Montney developments at Karr and Wapiti; the Kaybob Region, located in west-central Alberta, which includes the Kaybob North Duvernay development, the Kaybob North Montney oil development and other shale gas and conventional natural gas producing properties, and the Central Alberta and Other Region, which includes the Willesden Green Duvernay development in central Alberta and shale gas producing properties in the Horn River Basin in northeast British Columbia.
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.
Paramount Resources Ltd has a Value Score of 82, which is considered to be undervalued.
Paramount Resources Ltd’s price-earnings ratio is 6.8 compared to the industry median at 7.5. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Paramount Resources Ltd more attractive for value investors.
Paramount Resources Ltd’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Paramount Resources Ltd less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.30.
You can read more about Paramount Resources Ltd’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 7 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.
- Advantage Energy Ltd stock has a Value Grade of A.
- Civitas Resources Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
- CNX Resources Corp stock has a Value Grade of B.
- Crescent Energy Co stock has a Value Grade of B.
- Devon Energy Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
- Marathon Oil Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
- Paramount Resources Ltd stock has a Value Grade of A.
Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 7 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.
- 7 Undervalued Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks for Thursday, February 22
- 5 Undervalued Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks for Wednesday, February 21
- What You Need to Know About APA Corp (US)'s Q3 Earnings
- What You Need to Know About Marathon Oil Corp's Q4 Earnings
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