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 Thursday, February 09, 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.

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA)’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Canadian Natural Resources Limited is an independent crude oil and natural gas exploration, development and production company. The Company’s exploration and production operations are focused on North America, in Western Canada; the United Kingdom portion of the North Sea; and Cote d'Ivoire and South Africa in Offshore Africa. The Company’s exploration and production activities are conducted in three geographic segments: North America, North Sea and Offshore Africa. The Oil Sands Mining and Upgrading segment produces synthetic crude oil through bitumen mining and upgrading operations at Horizon Oil Sands (Horizon) and through its direct and indirect interest in Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP). Within Western Canada, in the Midstream and Refining segment, its activities include pipeline operations, an electricity co-generation system and an investment in the North West Redwater Partnership (NWRP), a general partnership formed to upgrade and refine bitumen in the Province of Alberta.

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.

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA) has a Value Score of 84, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA)’s price-to-sales ratio at 2.13 compared to the industry median at 1.68, this company has a higher price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA)’s stock less attractive for value investors.

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA)’s price-earnings ratio is 7.75 compared to the industry median at 5.19. This means it has a higher share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA) less attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA)’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 4.8, when compared to the industry median of 3.2, 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. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA)’s shareholder yield is higher 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. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA)’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its industry median ratio of 1.69. This could make Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA) less attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA)’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA)’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is higher than its industry median ratio of 5.98. This could make Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA) less attractive because the higher P/FCF ratio indicates that Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA) 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.

Crescent Point Energy Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Crescent Point Energy Corp. is a Canada-based oil and gas exploration company. The Company is focused on the development of oil resource plays based in Calgary, Alberta. Its crude oil and natural gas properties and related assets are located in the provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta and the United States. Its operating areas include Viewfield area of southeastern Saskatchewan; Shaunavon resource play, which is located in southwest Saskatchewan; North Dakota assets, which are primarily located in Williams County focused on the development of the Bakken and Three Forks formations; Flat Lake play, which is a multi-zone resource play located in southeast Saskatchewan and is an extension of the Three Forks play in North Dakota, and Kaybob Duvernay play, which is situated in the heart of the condensate rich fairway, Central Alberta. Its wholly owned subsidiaries include Crescent Point Resources Partnership, Crescent Point Holdings Ltd. and Crescent Point U.S. Holdings Corp.

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 Point Energy Corp has a Value Score of 99, which is considered to be undervalued.

Crescent Point Energy Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 2.0 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 Crescent Point Energy Corp more attractive for value investors.

Crescent Point Energy Corp’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Crescent Point Energy Corp less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.69.

You can read more about Crescent Point 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.

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 2.8 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 1.69.

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.

Coterra Energy Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Coterra Energy Inc. is an independent oil and gas company, which is engaged in the development, exploration and production of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The Company’s assets are concentrated in areas with hydrocarbon resources. The Company’s operations are primarily concentrated in three operating areas: the Marcellus Shale in northeast Pennsylvania, the Permian Basin in west Texas and southeast New Mexico, and the Anadarko Basin in the Mid-Continent region in Oklahoma. Its Marcellus Shale properties are principally located in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, where the Company holds approximately 177,000 net acres in the dry gas window in the Marcellus Shale. Its Permian Basin properties are principally located in the western half of the Permian Basin, where it holds approximately 306,000 net acres in the play. Its Anadarko Basin properties are principally located in Oklahoma, where it holds approximately 182,000 net acres in the play.

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 61, which is considered to be undervalued.

Coterra Energy Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 4.9 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 Coterra Energy Inc more attractive for value investors.

Coterra Energy Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Coterra Energy Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.69.

You can read more about Coterra 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.

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 94, 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 1.69.

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.

Pioneer Natural Resources Co’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Pioneer Natural Resources Company is an oil and gas exploration and production company. The Company explores for, develops and produces oil, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and gas in the Midland Basin in West Texas. The Company conducts exploitation and exploration activities in the Spraberry/Wolfcamp oil field located in the Midland Basin in West Texas. The Company holds approximately 976,000 gross acres, of which 961,000 gross acres are located in the Spraberry/Wolfcamp field in the Midland Basin of West Texas. The oil produced from the Spraberry/Wolfcamp field in the Midland Basin is West Texas Intermediate Sweet, and the gas produced is casinghead gas with an average energy content of 1,400 British thermal unit (Btu). The oil and gas are produced primarily from six formations, the Spraberry, the Jo Mill, the Dean, the Wolfcamp, the Strawn and the Atoka. Its subsidiaries include Pioneer Natural Resources USA, Inc., Pioneer Sands LLC and Pioneer Uravan, Inc., among 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.

Pioneer Natural Resources Co has a Value Score of 81, which is considered to be undervalued.

Pioneer Natural Resources Co’s price-earnings ratio is 8.0 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 Pioneer Natural Resources Co less attractive for value investors.

Pioneer Natural Resources Co’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Pioneer Natural Resources Co more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.69.

You can read more about Pioneer Natural 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.

W&T; Offshore, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

W&T; Offshore, Inc. is an independent oil and natural gas producer. The Company is engaged in the exploration, development and acquisition of oil and natural gas properties in the Gulf of Mexico. The Company has interest in approximately 43 offshore producing fields in federal and state waters and has under lease approximately 606,000 gross acres, including approximately 419,000 gross acres on the Gulf of Mexico Shelf and approximately 187,000 gross acres in the Gulf of Mexico deep-water. The Company’s properties include Mississippi Canyon 243 (Matterhorn), Mississippi Canyon 582 (Medusa), Mississippi Canyon 698 (Big Bend), Mississippi Canyon 800 (Gladden),Viosca Knoll 823 (Virgo), Viosca Knoll 783 (Tahoe/SE Tahoe), Ewing Bank 910, Ship Shoal 349 (Mahogany), Ship Shoal 28, Main Pass 108, Magnolia Field, and Fairway. The Mississippi Canyon 243 field is located approximately 100 miles southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana in 2,552 feet of water.

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.

W&T; Offshore, Inc. has a Value Score of 95, which is considered to be undervalued.

W&T; Offshore, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 3.6 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 W&T; Offshore, Inc. more attractive for value investors.

You can read more about W&T; Offshore, 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.

• Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (USA) stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Crescent Point Energy Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• California Resources Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Coterra Energy Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
• PDC Energy Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Pioneer Natural Resources Co stock has a Value Grade of A.
• W&T; Offshore, 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 Thursday, February 09
• 5 Undervalued Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks for Wednesday, February 08
• 3 Undervalued Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks for Tuesday, February 07
• 7 Undervalued Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks for Monday, February 06

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