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.

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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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 Friday, February 03, 2023. 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.

Abraxas Petroleum Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Abraxas Petroleum Corporation is an energy company. It is primarily engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of oil and gas. Its oil and gas assets are in two operating regions, the Permian/Delaware Basin and the Rocky Mountain. Its properties in the Permian/Delaware Basin region are primarily located in Ward and Winkler Counties, Texas and produce oil and gas primarily from the Bone Spring and Wolfcamp formations. Its properties in the Rocky Mountain region are primarily located in Montana, which produce oil and gas primarily from the Bakken, Three Forks and Red River formations. Its estimated proved reserves are 16.8 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMBoe), of which 100% are classified as proved developed, approximately 57% are oil and approximately 97% of which are operated by the Company. Its daily net production is approximately 4,922 barrels of oil equivalent per day (Boepd), of which approximately 63% is oil.

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.

Abraxas Petroleum Corp has a Value Score of 97, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Abraxas Petroleum Corp’s price-to-sales ratio at 0.14 compared to the industry median at 1.66, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Abraxas Petroleum Corp’s stock more attractive for value investors.

Abraxas Petroleum Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 0.20 compared to the industry median at 5.20. This means it has a lower share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Abraxas Petroleum Corp more attractive for value investors.

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. Abraxas Petroleum Corp’s shareholder yield is lower than its industry median ratio of 0.00%. 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. Abraxas Petroleum Corp’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.67. This could make Abraxas Petroleum Corp more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at Abraxas Petroleum Corp’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Abraxas Petroleum Corp’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 5.81. This could make Abraxas Petroleum Corp more attractive because the lower P/FCF ratio indicates that Abraxas Petroleum 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.

Barnwell Industries Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Barnwell Industries, Inc. acquires and develops crude oil and natural gas assets in the province of Alberta, Canada through its two subsidiaries, Barnwell of Canada and Octavian Oil. The Company is engaged in acquiring, developing, producing and selling oil and natural gas in Canada and Oklahoma; investing in land interests in Hawaii; and drilling wells and installing and repairing water pumping systems in Hawaii. The Company operates through three segments: Oil and Natural Gas, Land Investment, and Contract Drilling. Oil and Natural Gas Segment is engaged in oil and natural gas development, production, acquisitions and sales in Canada and in the United States state of Oklahoma. Land Investment Segment invests in land interests in Hawaii. Contract Drilling Segment provides well drilling services and water pumping system installation and repairs in Hawaii.

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.

Barnwell Industries Inc has a Value Score of 89, which is considered to be undervalued.

Barnwell Industries Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 4.4 compared to the industry median at 5.2. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Barnwell Industries Inc more attractive for value investors.

Barnwell Industries Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Barnwell Industries Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.67.

You can read more about Barnwell Industries 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.

California Resources Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

California Resources Corporation is an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company operating properties within California. The Company has the lowest carbon intensity production in the United States, which is focused on land, mineral and technical resources for decarbonization by developing carbon capture and storage (CCS) and other emissions-reducing projects. The CCS project at the Elk Hills Field is referred to as Carbon TerraVault I. These projects inject CO2 from industrial sources into depleted underground oil and gas reservoirs and permanently store CO2 deep underground. The Company has operations in oil and gas basins, including San Joaquin Basin, Los Angeles Basin, and Sacramento Basin. San Joaquin Basin operates and develops approximately 44 fields and holds approximately 1.3 million net mineral acres in the San Joaquin Basin. Los Angeles Basin holds approximately 30,000 net mineral acres. Sacramento Basin operates approximately 53 fields.

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.

California Resources Corp has a Value Score of 93, which is considered to be undervalued.

California Resources Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 2.9 compared to the industry median at 5.2. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes California Resources Corp more attractive for value investors.

California Resources Corp’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make California Resources Corp less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.67.

You can read more about California 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.

Epsilon Energy Ltd’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Epsilon Energy Ltd. is a North American onshore natural gas production and midstream company with a focus on the Marcellus Shale of Pennsylvania. The Company is engaged in the acquisition, development, gathering and production of natural gas and oil reserves. The Company operates through three segments: Upstream, Gathering System, and Corporate. The Upstream segment activities include acquisition, exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas reserves on properties within the United States. The Gathering System segment partners with two other companies to operate a natural gas gathering system. The Company's primary areas of operations include Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and Anadarko basin in Oklahoma. The Company's subsidiaries include Epsilon Energy USA Inc; Epsilon Midstream, LLC; Epsilon Operating, LLC, Dewey Energy GP LLC, Dewey Energy Holdings, LLC, and Altolisa Holdings, 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.

Epsilon Energy Ltd has a Value Score of 94, which is considered to be undervalued.

Epsilon Energy Ltd’s price-earnings ratio is 3.9 compared to the industry median at 5.2. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Epsilon Energy Ltd more attractive for value investors.

Epsilon Energy Ltd’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Epsilon Energy Ltd less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.67.

You can read more about Epsilon Energy 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.

Enerplus Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Enerplus Corporation (Enerplus) is a Canada-based oil and gas exploration and production company. The Company is focused on the development of North American oil and natural gas assets. Its portfolio includes light oil assets in the Bakken (North Dakota) and Marcellus natural gas shale region (northeast Pennsylvania). The Company holds approximately 238,500 net acres in North Dakota. Its acreage is primarily located across the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, as well as in Williams and Dunn Counties. Enerplus holds an interest in approximately 33,000 net acres in the dry gas window of the Marcellus shale in northeast Pennsylvania. This non-operated position is located across Susquehanna, Bradford, Wyoming, Sullivan, and Lycoming 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.

Enerplus Corp has a Value Score of 84, which is considered to be undervalued.

Enerplus Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 5.3 compared to the industry median at 5.2. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Enerplus Corp less attractive for value investors.

Enerplus Corp’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Enerplus Corp more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.67.

You can read more about Enerplus 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.

Magnolia Oil & Gas Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Magnolia Oil & Gas Corporation is an oil and natural gas company. It is engaged in the acquisition, development, exploration, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquid (NGL) reserves. Its oil and natural gas properties are located primarily in Karnes County and the Giddings area in South Texas, where it targets the Eagle Ford Shale and Austin Chalk formations. The Company’s assets consist of a total leasehold position of approximately 683,145 gross (471,263 net) acres, including 43,511 gross (23,785 net) acres in the Karnes area and 639,634 gross (447,478 net) acres in the Giddings area. The Karnes County Assets are located in Karnes, Gonzales, DeWitt, and Atascosa Counties, Texas, in the core of the Eagle Ford Shale. The acreage comprising the Karnes County Assets also includes the Austin Chalk formation overlying the Eagle Ford Shale. The Giddings Assets are located in Austin, Brazos, Burleson, Fayette, Lee, Grimes, Montgomery, and Washington Counties, Texas.

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.

Magnolia Oil & Gas Corp has a Value Score of 67, which is considered to be undervalued.

Magnolia Oil & Gas Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 5.3 compared to the industry median at 5.2. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Magnolia Oil & Gas Corp less attractive for value investors.

Magnolia Oil & Gas Corp’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Magnolia Oil & Gas Corp more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.67.

You can read more about Magnolia Oil & Gas 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.

PDC Energy Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

PDC Energy, Inc. is an exploration and production company. The Company acquires, explores and develops properties for the production of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs), with operations in the Wattenberg Field in Colorado and the Delaware Basin in west Texas. Its operations in the Wattenberg Field are focused on the horizontal Niobrara and Codell plays, and its Delaware Basin operations are primarily focused on the horizontal Wolfcamp zones. The Company owns an interest in approximately 3,500 gross productive wells. The Company's wholly owned subsidiary is PDC Permian, 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.

PDC Energy Inc has a Value Score of 95, which is considered to be undervalued.

PDC Energy Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 3.3 compared to the industry median at 5.2. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes PDC Energy Inc more attractive for value investors.

PDC Energy Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make PDC Energy Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.67.

You can read more about PDC 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 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.

• Abraxas Petroleum Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Barnwell Industries Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
• California Resources Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Epsilon Energy Ltd stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Enerplus Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Magnolia Oil & Gas Corp stock has a Value Grade of B.
• PDC Energy 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 Friday, February 03
• Which Is a Better Investment, Antero Resources Corp or Magnolia Oil & Gas Corp Stock?
• Which Is a Better Investment, Antero Resources Corp or Matador Resources Co Stock?
• Which Is a Better Investment, Antero Resources Corp or Paramount Resources Ltd (USA) Stock?

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