MARKET CURRENTS
real-time news and commentary for investors
MARKET CURRENTS
Flip Order
-
Monday, May 20
-
6:47 PM Enbridge Energy Partners (EEP), which had threatened to close an oil rail loading terminal in North Dakota unless the content of potentially deadly sulfide gas in Bakken crude shipments was reduced below 5 ppm, now says it will accept shipments if it is notified in advance but may seek reimbursement for damages caused by any unauthorized delivery. Comment!
-
6:29 PM Southern Co. (SO) replaces the head of its Mississippi utility amid growing concern about the cost of its Kemper coal power plant whose estimated price tag has ballooned to $4.3B. General counsel Ed Holland is named CEO of Mississippi Power following the sudden retirement of Ed Day, who had headed the utility since 2010. SO took $540M in charges against earnings related to Kemper in Q1. 4 Comments
-
5:58 PM Cabot Oil & Gas (COG) says it is using natural gas to fracture wells in the Marcellus shale via dual-fuel technology in a process that can displace as much as 70% of the diesel fuel traditionally used to operate fracking equipment, a first for the area. COG says the goals of its dual-fuel projects are to reduce air emissions and truck traffic, as well as cut costs. 2 Comments
-
5:35 PM Deutsche Bank remains bullish on oil service stocks (OIH), seeing favorable underlying trends in Q1 as North American margins improved Q/Q despite a decline in the rig count, suggesting significant operating leverage as activity levels recover. DB's four top stocks to buy, all with price targets well in excess of Wall Street consensus: BHI, HAL, NBR, HERO. Comment!
-
5:10 PM U.S. regulators indefinitely delay a decision on a proposed restart of the San Onofre nuclear power plant in California, raising new questions about whether the twin reactors will produce electricity again. The NRC has delayed several earlier target dates for a restart decision on the Edison (EIX) plant, but its website now lists only “to be determined" after last week's call for a more lengthy review. Comment!
-
4:54 PM Tesoro Logistics (TLLP) says it will buy Chevron’s (CVX) 760-mile Northwest Products pipeline system for $355M, less than the $400M previously expected, citing a March diesel fuel spill involving the system. CVX will retain liabilities and responsibility for the cleanup of the site near Willard, Utah, for two years. 1 Comment
-
4:27 PM Kosmos Energy (KOS) -16.1% AH after announcing its Sipo-1 exploration well on the Ndian River block in Cameroon failed to encounter commercial reservoirs. Due to the well results, KOS will record ~$75M against exploration expenses in its Q2 earnings. 2 Comments
-
3:59 PM EV Energy (EVEP +3.2%) is initiated with a Buy rating and $46 price target at Ladenburg Thalmann. Although there have been delays and any potential Utica Shale acreage monetizations this year are likely to be significantly lower than originally expected, the firm still believes EVEP is likely to sell at least 20K net operated acres in the wet gas window of the play in 2013. Comment!
-
3:43 PM Talisman Energy (TLM +2.6%) says it produced its first oil from the Hai Su Trang and Hai Su Den development offshore Vietnam, where gross production is expected to reach 15K bbl/day once facilities are fully commissioned. TLM says the debut came in ahead of schedule and under budget, less than 18 months after the project was sanctioned. Comment!
-
3:28 PM Shares of Colombian state oil company Ecopetrol (EC -1.8%), whose earnings continue to disappoint as it struggles to make new discoveries, hit a new 52-week low and fall below 4K pesos for the first time in 18 months. EC has ~2B boe in proven reserves and a $97B market cap, which makes its ratio of market value to reserves much more expensive than neighboring Brazil's Petrobras (PBR). Comment!
-
3:10 PM The two-day rally in James River Coal (JRCC +14.3%) reaches 25% after Friday's news that it would exchange $243M of existing debt for $123M in new debt, pushing back the maturity of some of the debt by three years. Sterne Agee reiterates its Buy rating, saying the move buys time for JRCC and increase its financial flexibility. Iberia Capital upgrades shares to Outperform with a $5 price target. Comment!
-
2:54 PM Tesoro (TSO +4.6%) seems to be benefiting from several favorable analyst notes today, including Barclays' big target price boost to $120 from $92, which the firm says may prove conservative since its calculations did not include any target synergy benefit. UBS and Macquarie also hike their price targets, the latter saying it sees no other U.S. independent refiner posting an equivalent execution track record. 1 Comment
-
2:34 PM Enbridge Energy Partners (ENB -0.4%) says an oil spill at its Cushing, Okla., terminal Saturday has not affected other terminal and pipeline operations. ENB says the leaking line was quickly isolated, and the oil that was released was held within the terminal's containment structures; ~2,400 barrels have been recovered as cleanup work continues. 2 Comments
-
2:16 PM Plains Exploration (PXP +7.5%) shareholders vote to approve Freeport McMoRan’s (FCX -0.2%) acquisition of PXP at today's special meeting. The transaction is expected to close on May 31. Following completion of the transaction, there are expected to be ~1B shares of FCX outstanding. Earlier today, PXP declared a $3/share special dividend conditioned upon the completed merger. Comment!
-
2:07 PM The U.S. Supreme Court rules that utility companies paying a windfall tax in the U.K. can claim a foreign tax credit on their U.S. tax returns, a win for PPL Corp. (PPL), which sought a U.S. credit after the U.K. assessed a windfall tax on a utility PPL partially owned. At least two other U.S. utilities - Entergy (ETR) and American Electric Power (AEP) - are in a similar position. Comment!
-
12:40 PM Wall Street cheers Chesapeake's (CHK +4%) appointment of Doug Lawler as CEO as a vote of confidence in CHK after building a strong reputation at Anadarko (APC). While hopeful the move will improve capital discipline and allocation decisions, Tudor Pickering cautions it will be a steep wall to climb "given the balance sheet leverage and need to materially sell assets into a weak [acquisitions] market." 3 Comments
-
12:12 PM Warren Resources (WRES -0.6%) says it is increasing its planned 2013 capex budget to $73M from $58M due to a decision to drill 25 new coalbed methane wells in the Spyglass Hill unit in Wyoming's Washakie Basin. Since the additional wells are expected to be placed into sales in late 2013, WRES is not updating its full-year gas production guidance. Comment!
-
12:03 PM Range Resources (RRC +1%) and Rex Energy (REXX +3.5%) are both downgraded (I, II) to Hold from Buy at Stifel Nicolaus on valuation and a more cautious outlook on near-term natural gas markets. On RRC, while the firm says the strong set of Marcellus drilling locations, solid execution, and improving financial position warrant its highest premium valuation, it would not be aggressive buyers now. 1 Comment
-
11:49 AM Focus will shift to its Bakken assets after proposed changes at Hess (HES), but Raymond James analysts say any breakup value is priced in, and Occidental (OXY) offers a better opportunity for "future multiple re-rating via breakup." OXY, for a while embroiled in a tug of war for leadership, is talking about potential spinoffs now that CEO Steve Chazen has a firmer grip on the company. Comment!
-
11:33 AM Petrobras (PBR -0.5%) reportedly is finding it hard to pump oil at one of Brazil’s largest prospects, signaling its venture with BG Group and Galp Energia may have higher costs or slower development than at other offshore fields. The Iara field is one of Brazil's five largest discoveries, but single deepwater wells there are said to have already cost more than $100M apiece. 1 Comment
-
11:22 AM Shares of WPX Energy (WPX +6.8%) surge after hedge fund Taconic Capital discloses a 6.39% stake in the company and says it "may engage in communications with relevant parties [on] ways to enhance shareholder value." WPX has been strong in recent weeks after being cleared by Pennsylvania regulators, which said it was not responsible for water contamination in the state. Comment!
-
10:59 AM Valero Energy (VLO +2.4%) pushes higher as a Friday story makes the rounds discussing the possible timing of a potential MLP for VLO's logistics assets. VLO has said it was evaluating an MLP, but the article seems more focused on the when rather than the if an MLP would happen. VLO has not yet made a commitment, but a spokesman says it is “leaning toward a positive decision." 3 Comments
-
10:47 AM Abu Dhabi’s state oil company is under pressure to take a quick decision on which foreign companies will get concessions in one of the few major oil producing areas in the Persian Gulf where international companies are still allowed to hold an equity interest. Prequalified companies are BP, XOM, RDS.A, TOT, STO,OXY, E, PTR, OJSCY.OB, Inpex, Korea National Oil. Comment!
-
10:07 AM Paulson & Co., whose funds own ~9.9% of the outstanding shares (12.8M) of Plains Exploration (PXP +7%), says it will vote in favor of Freeport McMoRan's (FCX -0.9%) proposed takeover of PXP and McMoRan Exploration (MMR) as it "adds another avenue for growth, diversifies its cash flows, and increases the proportion of earnings from the United States." Comment!
-
9:48 AM The U.S. approval of LNG exports wasn’t just a domestic political decision; many U.S. allies are eager for exports to go ahead, particularly the U.K. With dwindling North Sea gas reserves, the U.K. has become more dependent on LNG imports from Qatar, which sent the U.K. its 300th LNG cargo over the weekend. Qatar's dominance could shrink if a utility such as Centrica is able to import U.S. LNG as it hopes. Comment!
-
9:29 AM Plains All America (PAA) says it is constructing a 95-mile extension of its existing Oklahoma crude oil pipeline system to service increasing production from the Granite Wash, Hogshooter and Cleveland Sands producing areas in western Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle. The new pipeline will provide up to 75K bbl/day of new takeaway capacity. Comment!
-
9:06 AM Texas on Friday became the latest state to sue BP, Halliburton (HAL) and others tied to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, alleging the parties "engaged in willful and wanton misconduct." The Texas lawsuit asks for money for various reasons including sales and hotel occupancy taxes the state says it didn't receive because visitors didn't go to its Gulf Coast communities due to the spill. 9 Comments
-
8:57 AM In deals divesting itself of the majority of its inland fleet, Hercules Offshore (HERO) sells 11 of its inland barge rigs to an undisclosed buyer for $45M and sells its inland barge rig Hercules 27 to another unrelated buyer for $10M. HERO expects to book a non-cash impairment charge of ~$40M in Q2. Comment!
-
8:47 AM Tesoro's (TSO) price target is raised to a Street-high $120 at Barclays, reflecting the inclusion of the BP Carson, Calif., refinery and associated retail and logistics assets into its 2013-14 earnings estimates. The firm is "impressed by management's well-executed strategy and approach given the difficult regulatory approval process in California." TSO +1.1% premarket. 1 Comment
-
8:29 AM Sweetening the pot ahead of today's shareholder vote deciding the fate of Freeport McMoRan's (FCX) proposed takeover of Plains Exploration (PXP), PXP declares a special $3/share dividend and FCX announces a $1/share supplemental dividend to be paid upon closing the acquisition. With a close vote expected, the moves may well tip support in favor of the deal. PXP +6.2%, FCX +0.8% premarket. 5 Comments
-
7:48 AM More on JA Solar's (JASO) Q1 results: Lower prices for PV panels led to an eighth straight quarterly loss, although less than expected. Total shipments were 442.7 MW, -11.5% Q/Q and +20.9% Y/Y, vs. 410-430 MW company guidance. Full-year guidance of 1.7-1.9 GW unchanged. Gross margin +6% in Q1 vs. -4.6% in Q4 2012 and +2.1% in the year-ago quarter. Shares +5.5% premarket. Comment!
-
5:15 AM Directors at Chesapeake Energy (CHK) recruit Anadarko (APC) senior VP of international and deep-water operations Robert Douglas Lawler to succeed Aubrey McClendon as CEO, WSJ says. Lawler, a seasoned industry veteran, will join CHK on June 17 and says he "looks forward to generating value for shareholders in the years ahead." Besides plugging a multi-billion dollar gap between the company's spending and cash flow, Lawler's greatest challenge might be dealing with McClendon, whose contractual well investment rights mean he will likely be a part of the picture at CHK even if he isn't at the helm. 4 Comments
Other date
Latest Energy & Materials Articles
