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.

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, June 26, 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.

Coterra Energy Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Coterra Energy Inc. is an independent oil and gas company. The Company is engaged in the development, exploration and production of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs). Its operations are primarily concentrated in three core operating areas: the Permian Basin in west Texas and southeast New Mexico, the Marcellus Shale in northeast Pennsylvania and the Anadarko Basin in the Mid-Continent region in Oklahoma. Its Permian Basin properties hold approximately 296,000 net acres in its core operating area in the Delaware Basin. Its Marcellus Shale properties hold approximately 186,000 net acres in the dry gas window of the Marcellus Shale. The Anadarko Basin properties hold approximately 182,000 net acres and its development activities are primarily focused on both the Woodford Shale and the Meramec formations. It sells oil, natural gas and NGLs to industrial customers, local distribution companies, oil and gas marketers, pipeline companies and power generation facilities.

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.

Coterra Energy Inc has a Value Score of 66, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Coterra Energy Inc’s price-to-sales ratio at 3.72 compared to the industry median at 2.38, this company has a higher price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Coterra Energy Inc’s stock less attractive for value investors.

Coterra Energy Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 16.12 compared to the industry median at 11.31. This means it has a higher share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Coterra Energy Inc less attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Coterra Energy Inc’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 6.5, when compared to the industry median of 5.4, the company may be considered overvalued 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. Coterra Energy Inc’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of 1.69%. 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. Coterra Energy Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its industry median ratio of 1.45. This could make Coterra Energy Inc less attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at Coterra Energy Inc’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Coterra Energy Inc’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 8.75. This could make Coterra Energy Inc more attractive because the lower P/FCF ratio indicates that Coterra Energy Inc 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.

GeoPark Ltd’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

GeoPark Ltd is a Colombia-based company operating in the energy sector. As an oil and gas explorer, operator and consolidator the Company has assets and growth platforms in Colombia, Ecuador, Chile and Brazil. Working interests from operation in 42 hydrocarbon blocks comprise of natural gas exploration and production (E&P;) and crude oil production on land as well as offshore across over 700,000 acres. The Del Mosquito block in Argentina's Austral basin, and the Cerro Dona Juana and Loma Cortaderal blocks in the Neuquen basin are wholly owned by GeoPark Holdings Limited, while the Fell block in Chile's Magallanes region is 90% owned by the Company, with the remaining interest in associated infrastructure, production facilities, operating licenses and a technical database are held by state oil firm, Enap.

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.

GeoPark Ltd has a Value Score of 91, which is considered to be undervalued.

GeoPark Ltd’s price-earnings ratio is 5.5 compared to the industry median at 11.3. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes GeoPark Ltd more attractive for value investors.

GeoPark Ltd’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make GeoPark Ltd more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.45.

You can read more about GeoPark 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.

Matador Resources Co’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Matador Resources Company is an independent energy company. The Company is engaged in in the exploration, development, production and acquisition of oil and natural gas resources in the United States, with an emphasis on oil and natural gas shale and other unconventional plays. It operates through two segments: exploration and production and midstream. The exploration and production segment are engaged in the exploration, development, production and acquisition of oil and natural gas resources in the United States and is focused primarily on the oil and liquids-rich portion of the Wolfcamp and Bone Spring plays in the Delaware Basin in Southeast New Mexico and West Texas. The midstream segment conducts midstream operations in support of the Company’s exploration, development and production operations and provides natural gas processing, oil transportation services, oil, natural gas and produced water gathering services and produced water disposal services to third parties.

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.

Matador Resources Co has a Value Score of 80, which is considered to be undervalued.

Matador Resources Co’s price-earnings ratio is 8.1 compared to the industry median at 11.3. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Matador Resources Co more attractive for value investors.

Matador Resources Co’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Matador Resources Co more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.45.

You can read more about Matador Resources 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.

Murphy Oil Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Murphy Oil Corporation is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company. The Company is engaged in both onshore and offshore operations and properties. The Company’s geographic segments include the United States, Canada, and all other countries. It produces crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids primarily in the United States and Canada and explores for crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids in targeted areas worldwide. In the United States, it produces crude oil, natural gas liquids and natural gas primarily from fields in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Eagle Ford Shale area of South Texas. It holds rights to approximately 133 thousand gross acres in South Texas in the Eagle Ford Shale unconventional oil and natural gas play. In Canada, it holds working interests in Tupper Montney (100% owned), Kaybob Duvernay (operated) and two non-operated offshore assets: the Hibernia and Terra Nova fields, located offshore Newfoundland in the Jeanne d’Arc Basin.

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.

Murphy Oil Corp has a Value Score of 85, which is considered to be undervalued.

Murphy Oil Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 11.4 compared to the industry median at 11.3. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Murphy Oil Corp less attractive for value investors.

Murphy Oil Corp’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Murphy Oil Corp less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.45.

You can read more about Murphy 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.

Permianville Royalty Trust’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Permianville Royalty Trust (the Trust) is a statutory trust formed by Enduro Resource Partners LLC (Enduro), as trustor, The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (the Trustee), as trustee, and Wilmington Trust Company (the Delaware Trustee), as Delaware Trustee. The Trust is created to acquire and hold for the benefit of the Trust unitholders a net profits interest representing the right to receive approximately 80% of the net profits from the sale of oil and natural gas production from certain properties in the states of Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico held by Enduro. The properties in which the Trust holds the Net Profits Interest are referred to as the Underlying Properties. The Company’s Underlying Properties consist of producing and non-producing interests in oil and natural gas units, wells and lands in Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico. The Underlying Properties are divided into two geographic regions: the Permian Basin region and East Texas/North Louisiana region.

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.

Permianville Royalty Trust has a Value Score of 91, which is considered to be undervalued.

Permianville Royalty Trust’s price-earnings ratio is 3.8 compared to the industry median at 11.3. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Permianville Royalty Trust more attractive for value investors.

Permianville Royalty Trust’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Permianville Royalty Trust less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.45.

You can read more about Permianville 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.

Ring Energy Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Ring Energy, Inc. is an oil and gas exploration, development, and production company. The Company is focused on the development of its Permian Basin assets. Its primary drilling operations target the oil and liquids-rich producing formations in the Northwest Shelf and the Central Basin Platform, in the Permian Basin in Texas. The Company's leasehold acreage positions total approximately 96,127 gross (80,535 net) acres, and it holds interests in approximately 1,043 gross (864 net) producing wells. All of its properties are located in the Permian Basin and its proved reserves are oil-weighted, with approximately 63% consisting of oil, 19% consisting of natural gas, and 18% consisting of natural gas liquids. Of those reserves, approximately 68% are classified as proved developed and 32% are classified as proved undeveloped. Its proved reserves are approximately 129.8 million 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.

Ring Energy Inc has a Value Score of 94, which is considered to be undervalued.

Ring Energy Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 3.9 compared to the industry median at 11.3. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Ring Energy Inc more attractive for value investors.

Ring Energy Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Ring Energy Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.45.

You can read more about Ring 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.

• Coterra Energy Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
• GeoPark Ltd stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Matador Resources Co stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Murphy Oil Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Permianville Royalty Trust stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Ring Energy Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.

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, June 26
• 6 Undervalued Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks for Tuesday, June 25
• Why Ecopetrol SA (ADR)’s (EC) Stock Is Down 11.84%
• Why Vista Energy SAB de CV - ADR’s (VIST) Stock Is Up 5.27%

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