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 Tuesday, July 30, 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 |
| CNX Resources Corp | CNX | 3.26 | 7.8 | 9.6 | 6.1% | 0.93 | 36.3 | B |
| Devon Energy Corp | DVN | 1.91 | 8.7 | 5.2 | 8.5% | 2.36 | na | A |
| Highpeak Energy Inc | HPK | 1.74 | 13.8 | 3.2 | (12.0%) | 1.32 | na | B |
| Murphy Oil Corp | MUR | 1.80 | 11.1 | 4.3 | 5.0% | 1.15 | 8.6 | A |
| Sitio Royalties Corp | STR | 3.28 | na | 8.9 | 4.2% | 1.24 | na | B |
| Unit Corp | UNTC | 1.16 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 12.5% | 1.35 | na | A |
| Veren Inc | VRN | 1.20 | 13.3 | 3.2 | (7.8%) | 0.71 | 7.4 | 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.
CNX Resources Corp’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | CNX | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 70 | 3.26 | 2.23 |
| Price/Earnings | 12 | 7.8 | 11.2 |
| EV/EBITDA | 44 | 9.6 | 5.4 |
| Shareholder Yield | 13 | 6.1% | 2.0% |
| Price/Book Value | 25 | 0.93 | 1.42 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 73 | 36.3 | 8.3 |
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 65, which is considered to be undervalued.
When you look at CNX Resources Corp’s price-to-sales ratio at 3.26 compared to the industry median at 2.23, this company has a higher price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make CNX Resources Corp’s stock less attractive for value investors.
CNX Resources Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 7.76 compared to the industry median at 11.18. This means it has a lower share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make CNX Resources Corp more attractive for value investors.
Now, let’s assess CNX Resources Corp’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 9.6, 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. CNX Resources Corp’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of 1.99%. 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. CNX Resources Corp’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.42. This could make CNX Resources Corp more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.
Lastly, let’s take a look at CNX Resources Corp’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. CNX Resources Corp’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is higher than its industry median ratio of 8.28. This could make CNX Resources Corp less attractive because the higher P/FCF ratio indicates that CNX Resources 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.
Devon Energy Corp’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | DVN | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 53 | 1.91 | 2.23 |
| Price/Earnings | 15 | 8.7 | 11.2 |
| EV/EBITDA | 16 | 5.2 | 5.4 |
| Shareholder Yield | 8 | 8.5% | 2.0% |
| Price/Book Value | 61 | 2.36 | 1.42 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 8.3 |
Devon Energy Corporation is an oil and gas producer in the United States with a multi-basin portfolio. The Company is primarily engaged in the exploration, development and production of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs). Its oil and gas properties include Delaware Basin, Eagle Ford, Anadarko Basin, Williston Basin and Powder River Basin. The Delaware Basin operates in southeast New Mexico and across the state line into west Texas. It offers exploration and development opportunities from many geologic reservoirs and play types, including the oil-rich Wolfcamp, Bone Spring, Avalon and Delaware formations. The Eagle Ford operations are located in Texas' DeWitt and Karnes counties. The Anadarko Basin has around four-operated rig program associated with a joint venture. Its position in the Williston is located entirely on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. The Powder River Basin is focused on emerging oil opportunities in Wyoming's Powder River 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.
Devon Energy Corp has a Value Score of 82, which is considered to be undervalued.
Devon Energy Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 8.7 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 Devon Energy Corp more 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 1.42.
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.
Highpeak Energy Inc’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | HPK | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 50 | 1.74 | 2.23 |
| Price/Earnings | 35 | 13.8 | 11.2 |
| EV/EBITDA | 7 | 3.2 | 5.4 |
| Shareholder Yield | 80 | (12.0%) | 2.0% |
| Price/Book Value | 39 | 1.32 | 1.42 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 8.3 |
HighPeak Energy, Inc. is an independent crude oil and natural gas company. The Company is focused on the acquisition, development, exploration and exploitation of unconventional crude oil and natural gas reserves in the Midland Basin in West Texas. It focuses on brownfield the Midland Basin and specifically the Howard and Borden Counties area of the Midland Basin. Its assets include certain rights, title and interests in crude oil and natural gas assets located primarily in Howard and Borden Counties, Texas, and to a lesser extent, Scurry and Mitchell Counties, Texas. Its assets are located in the northeastern part of the Midland Basin. The Midland Basin is part of the Permian Basin of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. The Permian Basin covers an area of about 96,000 square miles and is comprised of five sub-regions including the Midland Basin, the Central Basin Platform, the Delaware Basin, the Northwest Shelf and the Eastern Shelf.
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.
Highpeak Energy Inc has a Value Score of 61, which is considered to be undervalued.
Highpeak Energy Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 13.8 compared to the industry median at 11.2. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Highpeak Energy Inc less attractive for value investors.
Highpeak Energy Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Highpeak Energy Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.42.
You can read more about Highpeak 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.
Murphy Oil Corp’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | MUR | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 51 | 1.80 | 2.23 |
| Price/Earnings | 24 | 11.1 | 11.2 |
| EV/EBITDA | 11 | 4.3 | 5.4 |
| Shareholder Yield | 16 | 5.0% | 2.0% |
| Price/Book Value | 33 | 1.15 | 1.42 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 20 | 8.6 | 8.3 |
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 89, which is considered to be undervalued.
Murphy Oil Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 11.1 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 Murphy Oil Corp more 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 1.42.
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.
Sitio Royalties Corp’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | STR | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 71 | 3.28 | 2.23 |
| Price/Earnings | na | na | 11.2 |
| EV/EBITDA | 39 | 8.9 | 5.4 |
| Shareholder Yield | 20 | 4.2% | 2.0% |
| Price/Book Value | 36 | 1.24 | 1.42 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 8.3 |
Sitio Royalties Corp. acquires, owns, and manages mineral and royalty interests across premium basins in the United States. The Company leases its mineral interests to oil and gas exploration and production (E&P;) companies. It leases permits E&P; companies to explore for and produce oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids from its properties and entitles the Company to receive a percentage of the proceeds from the sales of these commodities. The Company’s assets are focused primarily on the Permian Basin in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico, with additional assets across areas of the United States, including the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin in Colorado and Wyoming, Eagle Ford in South Texas, Appalachia Basin in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma, and Williston Basin in North Dakota. The DJ Basin is located in Northeast Colorado and Southeast Wyoming. The Company owns mineral and royalty interests representing over 252,300 net royalty acres (NRAs).
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.
Sitio Royalties Corp has a Value Score of 62, which is considered to be undervalued.
Sitio Royalties Corp’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Sitio Royalties Corp less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.42.
You can read more about Sitio Royalties 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.
Unit Corp’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | UNTC | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 37 | 1.16 | 2.23 |
| Price/Earnings | 3 | 2.7 | 11.2 |
| EV/EBITDA | 6 | 2.7 | 5.4 |
| Shareholder Yield | 5 | 12.5% | 2.0% |
| Price/Book Value | 40 | 1.35 | 1.42 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 8.3 |
Unit Corporation is a natural gas contract drilling company. The Company is primarily engaged in the development, acquisition, and production of oil and natural gas properties, the land contract drilling of natural gas and oil wells, and the buying, selling, gathering, processing, and treating of natural gas. The Company operates through three segments: Oil and Natural Gas, Contract Drilling, and Mid-Stream. The Oil and Natural Gas segment explores, develops, acquires, and produces oil and natural gas properties for its own account. The Contract Drilling segment contracts to drill onshore oil and natural gas wells for others and for its own account. The Mid-Stream segment buys, sells, gathers, processes, and treats natural gas for third parties and for its own account. The Company’s producing oil and natural gas properties, unproved properties, and related assets are primarily located in Oklahoma and Texas, in addition to Arkansas, Kansas, and North Dakota to a lesser extent.
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.
Unit Corp has a Value Score of 96, which is considered to be undervalued.
Unit Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 2.7 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 Unit Corp more attractive for value investors.
Unit Corp’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Unit Corp less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.42.
You can read more about Unit 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.
Veren Inc’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | VRN | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 38 | 1.20 | 2.23 |
| Price/Earnings | 33 | 13.3 | 11.2 |
| EV/EBITDA | 7 | 3.2 | 5.4 |
| Shareholder Yield | 76 | (7.8%) | 2.0% |
| Price/Book Value | 16 | 0.71 | 1.42 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 16 | 7.4 | 8.3 |
Veren Inc. is a Canada-based oil producer with assets in central Alberta and southeast and southwest Saskatchewan. The principal activities of the Company are acquiring, developing and holding interests in petroleum and natural gas properties and assets related thereto through a general partnership and wholly owned subsidiaries. Its core operational areas include Kaybob Duvernay and Alberta Montney, Shaunavon and Viewfield Bakken. Its Kaybob Duvernay is situated in the heart of the condensate rich fairway, Central Alberta, which provides low risk drilling inventory. Its Alberta Montney assets sit adjacent to its Kaybob Duvernay lands, possessing similar resource characteristics including pay thickness and permeability in the volatile oil fairway of the reservoir. Its Shaunavon resource play is located in southwest Saskatchewan. The Viewfield Bakken light oil pool is located in Saskatchewan.
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.
Veren Inc has a Value Score of 82, which is considered to be undervalued.
Veren Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 13.3 compared to the industry median at 11.2. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Veren Inc less attractive for value investors.
Veren Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Veren Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.42.
You can read more about Veren 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 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.
- CNX Resources Corp stock has a Value Grade of B.
- Devon Energy Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
- Highpeak Energy Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
- Murphy Oil Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
- Sitio Royalties Corp stock has a Value Grade of B.
- Unit Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
- Veren Inc 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 Tuesday, July 30
- 6 Undervalued Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks for Monday, July 29
- What You Need to Know About Chesapeake Energy Corp's Q2 Earnings
- Why Amplify Energy Corp’s (AMPY) Stock Is Down 7.57%
AAII Disclaimer
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