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.

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

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 Monday, October 30, 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.

Chesapeake Energy Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Chesapeake Energy Corporation is an independent exploration and production company. It is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of properties to produce oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs) from underground reservoirs. It owns a diverse portfolio of onshore United States unconventional natural gas and liquids assets, including interests in approximately 8,400 gross oil and natural gas wells. Its natural gas resource plays are Marcellus Shale in the northern Appalachian Basin in Pennsylvania (Marcellus) and the Haynesville/Bossier Shales in northwestern Louisiana and the liquids-rich resource play in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas (Eagle Ford). Its marketing operations include oil, natural gas and NGL marketing services, including commodity price structuring, negotiating of gathering, hauling, processing and transportation services, and contract administration and nomination services for Company and other interest owners in Chesapeake-operated wells.

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.

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

When you look at Chesapeake Energy Corp’s price-to-sales ratio at 0.98 compared to the industry median at 1.85, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Chesapeake Energy Corp’s stock more attractive for value investors.

Chesapeake Energy Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 2.04 compared to the industry median at 6.16. This means it has a lower share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Chesapeake Energy Corp more attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Chesapeake Energy Corp’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 1.9, when compared to the industry median of 3.7, the company may be considered undervalued 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. Chesapeake Energy Corp’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of 0.61%. 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. Chesapeake Energy Corp’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.42. This could make Chesapeake Energy Corp more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at Chesapeake Energy Corp’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Chesapeake Energy Corp’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is higher than its industry median ratio of 6.45. This could make Chesapeake Energy Corp less attractive because the higher P/FCF ratio indicates that Chesapeake Energy 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.

CNX Resources Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

CNX Resources Corporation is an independent natural gas and midstream company. The Company is primarily engaged in the exploration, development, production and acquisition of natural gas properties in the Appalachian Basin. Its principal activity is to produce pipeline natural gas for sale primarily to gas wholesalers. Additionally, the Company operates and develops coal bed methane (CBM) properties in Virginia. The Company?s segment includes Shale and Coalbed Methane (CBM). Its Shale properties extract natural gas from Shale formations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio from approximately 526,000 net Marcellus Shale acres and approximately 610,000 net Utica Shale acres. It extracts CBM in Virginia from approximately 278,000 net CBM acres in Central Appalachia. It also extracts natural gas from other shale and shallow oil and gas positions primarily in Illinois, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia from approximately 1,003,000 net acres.

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 82, which is considered to be undervalued.

CNX Resources Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 1.6 compared to the industry median at 6.2. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes CNX Resources Corp more attractive for value investors.

CNX Resources Corp’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make CNX Resources Corp less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.42.

You can read more about CNX 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.

California Resources Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

California Resources Corporation is an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company with 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 42 fields and holds approximately 1.24 million net mineral acres in the San Joaquin Basin. Los Angeles Basin holds approximately 29,000 net mineral acres. Sacramento Basin operates approximately 50 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 91, which is considered to be undervalued.

California Resources Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 4.3 compared to the industry median at 6.2. 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 lower than its peers. This could make California Resources Corp more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.42.

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.

EQT Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

EQT Corporation is a natural gas producer with operations focused on the Marcellus and Utica Shales of the Appalachian Basin. It has approximately 25.0 trillion cubic feet equivalents (Tcfe) of proved natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and crude oil reserves across approximately 2.0 million gross acres, including approximately 1.8 million gross acres in the Marcellus play. The Company is focused on the execution of combo-development projects, which refers to the development of several multi-well pads in tandem. It owns or leases approximately 610,000 net acres in Pennsylvania. The Company owns or leases approximately 405,000 net acres in West Virginia. It also owns or leases approximately 65,000 net acres in eastern Ohio. It primarily contracts with MarkWest Energy Partners, L.P. (MarkWest) to process its natural gas and extract from the produced natural gas heavier hydrocarbon streams consisting of ethane, propane, isobutane, normal butane and natural gasoline.

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.

EQT Corp has a Value Score of 67, which is considered to be undervalued.

EQT Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 6.4 compared to the industry median at 6.2. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes EQT Corp less attractive for value investors.

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

You can read more about EQT 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.

Northern Oil and Gas Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. is an independent energy company. The Company is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, exploitation, development and production of crude oil and natural gas properties in the United States, primarily in the Williston Basin, the Appalachian Basin, and the Permian Basin. Its primary focus is investing in non-operated minority working and mineral interests in oil and gas properties, with a core area of focus in three basins within the United States. It primarily engages in oil and natural gas exploration and production by participating on a proportionate basis alongside third-party interests in wells drilled and completed in spacing units that include its acreage. The Company also holds a 30% interest in Forge Energy II Delaware, LLC, (Forge Assets). Forge Assets are primarily located in Ward and Reeves Counties, Texas and include approximately 10,200 net acres, 30.5 net producing wells, 2.3 net wells-in-process and 20 low-breakeven net undeveloped locations.

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.

Northern Oil and Gas Inc has a Value Score of 71, which is considered to be undervalued.

Northern Oil and Gas Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 2.7 compared to the industry median at 6.2. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Northern Oil and Gas Inc more attractive for value investors.

Northern Oil and Gas Inc’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Northern Oil and Gas Inc more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.42.

You can read more about Northern Oil and Gas 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.

Primeenergy Resources Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

PrimeEnergy Resources Corporation is an independent oil and natural gas company engaged in acquiring, developing, and producing oil and natural gas. It owns leasehold, mineral and royalty interests in producing and non-producing oil and gas properties across the United States, primarily in Oklahoma, and Texas. It operates approximately 630 active wells and owns non-operating interests and royalties in approximately 800 additional wells. It provides well-servicing support operations, site-preparation and construction services for oil and gas drilling and reworking operations, both in connection with its activities and providing contract services for third parties. It maintains an acreage position of approximately 16,940 gross acres in the Permian Basin of West Texas and eastern New Mexico, which is located in Reagan, Upton, Martin, and Midland counties. In Oklahoma, it is focused on the development of its reserves in Canadian, Grady, Kingfisher, Garfield, Major, and Garvin 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.

Primeenergy Resources Corp has a Value Score of 81, which is considered to be undervalued.

Primeenergy Resources Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 7.4 compared to the industry median at 6.2. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Primeenergy Resources Corp less attractive for value investors.

Primeenergy Resources Corp’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Primeenergy Resources Corp fairly attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.42.

You can read more about Primeenergy 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.

Reserve Petroleum Co’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

The Reserve Petroleum Company is an independent oil and gas company. The Company is engaged in oil and natural gas exploration, development and minerals management with areas of concentration in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. Its principal properties are oil and natural gas properties. It has interests in approximately 860 producing properties with 69% of them being working interest properties and the remaining 31% being royalty interest properties. It owns non-producing mineral interests in 256,534 gross acres equivalent to 88,214 net acres. These mineral interests are in ten different states in the north and south-central United States. A total of 81,080 (92%) net acres are in the states of Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming, the areas of concentration for the Company in its exploration and development programs. Its subsidiaries consist of majority owned Grand Woods Development, LLC and wholly owned Trinity Water Services, 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.

Reserve Petroleum Co has a Value Score of 82, which is considered to be undervalued.

Reserve Petroleum Co’s price-earnings ratio is 10.8 compared to the industry median at 6.2. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Reserve Petroleum Co less attractive for value investors.

Reserve Petroleum Co’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Reserve Petroleum Co less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.42.

You can read more about Reserve Petroleum 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.

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.

• Chesapeake Energy Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• CNX Resources Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• California Resources Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• EQT Corp stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Northern Oil and Gas Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Primeenergy Resources Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Reserve Petroleum Co 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 Monday, October 30
• 3 Undervalued Oil & Gas - Exploration and Production Stocks for Friday, October 27
• Why Chevron Corporation’s (CVX) Stock Is Down 6.72%
• Why Hess Corp.’s (HES) Stock Is Down 6.46%

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.