Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 3 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.

Click the button below to learn more about A+ Investor and subscribe today.

3 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 3 undervalued stocks in the Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production industry for Wednesday, July 24, 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 72, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Coterra Energy Inc’s price-to-sales ratio at 3.52 compared to the industry median at 2.31, 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 15.24 compared to the industry median at 11.19. 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 5.3, 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 2.04%. 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 1.42. 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 8.26. 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.

Ecopetrol SA (ADR)’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Ecopetrol S.A. is an oil company. The Company operates in Colombia, Peru, Brazil and the United States Gulf Coast. The Company's segments include Exploration and Production, Transportation and Logistics, and Refining, Petrochemicals and Biofuels. The Company's Exploration and Production segment includes exploration, development and production activities in Colombia and abroad. The Company's Transportation and Logistics segment includes the transportation of crude oil, motor fuels, fuel oil and other refined products, including diesel and biofuels. The Company's main crude oil pipeline systems' operating capacity is approximately 1.34 million barrels per day (BPD). The Company's main refineries are the Barrancabermeja refinery, which it directly owns and operates, and a refinery in the Free Trade Zone in Cartagena that is operated by Reficar S.A., a subsidiary of the Company. The Company also owns and operates two other minor refineries: Orito and Apiay.

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.

Ecopetrol SA (ADR) has a Value Score of 97, which is considered to be undervalued.

Ecopetrol SA (ADR)’s price-earnings ratio is 5.0 compared to the industry median at 11.2. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Ecopetrol SA (ADR) more attractive for value investors.

Ecopetrol SA (ADR)’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Ecopetrol SA (ADR) less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.42.

You can read more about Ecopetrol SA (ADR)’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 gas company engaged in the development, acquisition and production of oil and gas assets. The Company’s primary area of operations is the Mid-Continent region in Oklahoma and Kansas. Its primary operations are the production, development, and acquisition of hydrocarbon resources. The Company holds interests in about 1,453 gross (849 net) producing wells, approximately 958 of which it operates, and 548,895 gross (364,201 net) total acres under lease. Its productive wells consist of wells that are producing hydrocarbons. The Company sells its oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs) to a variety of customers, including oil and natural gas companies and trading and energy marketing companies. The Company’s subsidiaries include 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 69, which is considered to be undervalued.

SandRidge Energy Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 10.5 compared to the industry median at 11.2. 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 1.42.

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.

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 3 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.
• Ecopetrol SA (ADR) stock has a Value Grade of A.
• SandRidge Energy Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 3 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.

• 3 Undervalued Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks for Wednesday, July 24
• 6 Undervalued Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks for Tuesday, July 23
• What You Need to Know About EQT Corp's Q2 Earnings
• What You Need to Know About Matador Resources Co's Q2 Earnings

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.