"Oil had a good year in 2010, rising 15 percent, and 2011 looks to be even better, as a stronger global economy pushes demand for resources higher," says Stephen Leeb.

The editor of The Complete Investor explains, "Oil service and equipment companies are the most leveraged way to play rising oil prices. Here's a look a Schlumberger (SLB) and National Oilwell Varco (NOV).

"First is Schlumberger, operating in more than 80 countries. The company is the world's leading supplier of energy technology, project management, and information solutions.

Continue reading Oil Services Favorites: Schlumberger, National Oilwell Varco

Oil Services Favorites: Schlumberger, National Oilwell Varco originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Oil is no longer flowing from the Deep Horizon well into the Gulf of Mexico, and investors are starting to take another look at the oil industry.

One oil stock that is standing out right now is Cameron International (CAM), which provides drilling systems and equipment -- like the now infamous blowout preventers.

Goldman Sachs just upgraded Cameron to a Buy rating and added the stock to its Conviction Buy List saying, "we expect Cameron to be one of the key beneficiaries of any renewed focus on oil services."

Continue reading Cameron Stands to Benefit from Capped Leak

Cameron Stands to Benefit from Capped Leak originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Top Energy and Oil Stocks for 2010
• Top 2010 Stocks: Oil Rigs

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Remember the pattern of oil rallies

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Remember the pattern of oil rallies originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) to Buy from Hold on expectations that stable volumes and a better outlook for currency and commodities will lead to higher earnings visibility. The firm raised its price target on shares to $62 from $52.
• FBR Capital upgraded Goodrich (NYSE: GR) to Outperform from Market Perform as it finds the stock's valuation compelling following the recent pullback. The firm raised its target on shares to $65 from $46.
• William Blair upgraded Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) to Outperform from Market Perform after channel checks indicated demand is accelerating as the firm finds the stock's valuation compelling at current levels.
• Robbins & Myers (NYSE: RBN) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
• Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Viacom B (NYSE: VIA.B) were upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at BofA/Merrill, while News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWS) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANN, DIS, CSCO, KO, NWS, PETM, ULTA ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANN, DIS, CSCO, KO, NWS, PETM, ULTA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV), a buy in our 'Wildcatters portfolio,' will see an outsized benefit from improving conditions in the global oil market," says Elliott Gue in The Energy Strategist.

"Rig technology is the crown jewel of National Oilwell's business; the unit builds key equipment used on land and offshore drilling rigs.

"The unit is currently benefiting from the boom in deepwater drilling activity -- one of the only drilling markets that continue to see growth.

"Equipment used on deepwater drilling rigs is far more complex and expensive than that used on land or shallow-water rigs. As a result, selling equipment into the deepwater market carries far higher profit margins for National.

Continue reading Deepwater rigs boost National Oilwell Varco (NOV)

Deepwater rigs boost National Oilwell Varco (NOV) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"We sense a turn for the better coming in the oil sector," says Peter Way who tracks 'big money' investors for his Block Trader Oil & Gas Report. Here's his look at the "big block" traders.

"When we use the hedging analysis employed in our stock price forecasts, there are significant differences between some adjacent futures expirations. Here's the current picture:

"Front month (November) hedging suggests likely near-term higher prices. But the December contracts are likely to continue the past 3-month price decline - briefly.

"After that we could see crude rise over a few months into the $115-125 area or even higher, providing a bullish backdrop for most energy stocks. We sense a turn for the better coming in this sector.

"Several issues are selling at attractive prices now. Among major integrated producers, the standout prospect among the big oils is Petrochina (NYSE: PTR).

Continue reading Big block traders bet on oil sector favorites

Big block traders bet on oil sector favorites originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Baird upgraded Adtran (NASDAQ: ADTN) to Outperform from Neutral based on valuation, new product cycles, and confidence in 2H08 results.
  
• Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Repsol (NYSE: REP) to Overweight from Equal Weight as they believe the potential sale to Sacyr Vallehermoso SA could lead to a restructuring.
  
• Stanford lifted National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV) to Buy from Hold citing valuation. In addition, the firm, which set a target of $70, thinks most of the drop in commodity prices is now over.
• Ryanair (NASDAQ: RYAAY) was raised to Hold from Sell at Societe Generale.
  
• Ann Taylor (NYSE: ANN) was upgraded at Piper to Neutral from Sell.
  
• Goldman added Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW) to the Conviction Buy List.

• Argus downgraded shares of Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) to Hold from Buy post-close given the volatility in the stock as they can no longer recommend CEG until concerns over its capital and liquidity are resolved. Shares were also downgraded to Hold from Buy at Citigroup.
  
• Collins Stewart downgraded Lloyds TSB Group (NYSE: LYG) to Hold from Buy following the acquisition of HBOS (OTC: HBOOY) as they expect short-term weakness in the stock.

Continue reading Analyst calls: NOC, RYAAY, ANN, CEG, LYG, NT, PLD, DPS, WFMI ...

Analyst calls: NOC, RYAAY, ANN, CEG, LYG, NT, PLD, DPS, WFMI ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Big players are bullying this puny market

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Big players are bullying this puny market originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Institutions are flooding the nat gas futures

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Institutions are flooding the nat gas futures originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• the Fed raises rates;
• commodity prices come in because they are a hedge against the weak dollar;
• oil fluctuates in price because of the dollar;
• the dollar controls stocks and bonds.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Not buying the oil/dollar story

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Not buying the oil/dollar story originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Goldman upgraded shares of Shire Plc (NASDAQ: SHPGY) to Buy from Neutral on expectations for share gains in the second half of 2008 following the launch of Vyvanse in adults. Goldman also added the stock to the Conviction Buy List.
  
• Deutsche Bank raised J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) to Buy from Hold after channel checks indicated recent sales trends have improved. The firm finds the risk/reward compelling at current levels with a $46 target.
  
• Oppenheimer upgraded shares of VisionChina Media (NASDAQ: VISN) to Outperform from Perform following the recent pullback, after channel checks indicated the company is seeing greater traction with larger advertising clients.

• National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV) was upgraded to Sector Perform from Underperform.
  
• Goldman added US Steel (NYSE: X) to the Conviction Buy List.
  
• Apollo Group (NASDAQ: APOL) was upgraded at ThinkPanmure to Buy from Accumulate.

Analyst upgrades: SHPGY, JCP, VISN, NOV, X, APOL originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Five stocks to love from CNNMoney

Five stocks to love from CNNMoney originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 May 2008 16:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says the Weyerhaeuser and Bristol-Myers stories slipped under the radar yesterday.

Did anyone even see that Weyerhaeuser (NYSE: WY) (Cramer's Take) made this great trade with International Paper (NYSE: IP) (Cramer's Take), getting out of the commodity container board business and pulling in $6 billion to reduce debt? To me, anytime you get out of a commodity business you lift your multiple, even if the rest is constrained by the housing-related lumber business.

Or how about the story that Bristol-Myers (NYSE: BMY) (Cramer's Take) might sell its baby-food business for a big chunk of change, another $6 billion.

Hmm, $12 billion in shuffles, both good for the shufflers, and no one really cares.

That's the problem with the endless focus on the financials, something I know I am falling prey to, too. Because of the focus, for example, I also missed that Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) (Cramer's Take) traded back to $68 and change after trading up to $75, a terrific opportunity.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Financial fixation can cost you

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Financial fixation can cost you originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Value stocks are those whose prices are relatively low compared to their fundamental value, as measured by factors such as earnings and net worth," notes Mark Hulbert.

"Value stocks can be considered all-season stocks, as history shows that they can perform well in both up and down markets." Here, the editor of The Hulbert Financial Digest also offers a list of value stocks that recommended by the most advisors who have also beaten the broad market over the last decade on a risk-adjusted basis.

"Value stocks are to be distinguished from so-called growth stocks, which have relatively high price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios.

"Consider first how value stocks perform during bear markets. Believe it or not, they on average actually tend to make money. It's not only that they lose less money than the overall market, they actually gain.

"Take the 2000-2002 bear market, for example, during which the overall stock market declined by 48.6% (as measured by the dividend-adjusted version of the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 index (97199001:Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index

"In contrast, according to data compiled by University of Chicago finance professor Eugene Fama and Dartmouth University finance professor Kenneth French, the average value stock over this time gained over 80%.

Continue reading Hulbert on value stocks: All-weather plays?

Hulbert on value stocks: All-weather plays? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CNN/Money is good enough to put out the top performing stocks of 2007 list. Most of the companies are fairly familiar, but leading the pack for the S&P 500 is National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV), a stock almost no one has heard of.

The company has been in the right place at the right time. It makes equipment for the oil and gas exploration industry. With the global need for energy rising, NOV is a near-perfect investment.

The firm is not only growing due to a strong industry environment. It is also making what Wall Street thinks are some smart acquisitions. It announced it would buy oilfield service company Grant Prideco (NYSE: GRP) for $7.4 billion in cash and stock. Because the companies are in similar fields, chances are the duplicate costs can be taken out to improve operating margins.

In the September quarter, NOV net income doubled to $366 million, which beat analyst estimates. Backlog for its products also hit a record.

But, the success of National Oilwell Varco points out that in the market, it is better to be lucky than good. The odds that the company could have done so well if oil were at $30 a barrel are probably low. The demand for exploration would be substantially less. The need for drilling equipment would be modest.

National Oilwell Varco had a great year. If oil prices move down, Wall Street should not count on it again.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

How National Oilwell Varco (NOV) climbed 128% originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 Dec 2007 07:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Goldman downgraded shares of Barclays PLC (NYSE: BCS) to Sell from Neutral and added the stock to their Conviction Sell List citing credit concerns. They believe negative headlines on writedowns will continue to weigh on shares.
  
• Banc of America downgraded shares of Grant Prideco (NYSE: GRP) due to its acquisition by National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV).
• Collins Stewart downgraded shares of Force Protection (NASDAQ: FRPT) to Underperform from Buy after the company did not receive MRAP vehicles ordered last night. They believe shares are likely to trade at book value of $3.58 or lower in the short term and set a target price of $2.90.

• Keefe Bruyette removed Navigators Group (NASDAQ: NAVG) from its Best Ideas List.
  
• Morgan Stanley downgraded Petro-Canada (NYSE: PCZ) to Underweight from Equal Weight.
  
• Jefferies downgraded Exelon (NYSE: EXC) to Hold from Buy.

Analyst downgrades: BCS, GRP and FRPT originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

National Oilwell likes the long-term view originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading What are the best (and worst) S&P stocks so far in 2007?

What are the best (and worst) S&P stocks so far in 2007? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Technician Michael Ashbaugh expects a "cooling off period" before stocks again test their all-time highs. Yet, he remains bullish, with a particular focus on the oil services sector. In his MarketWatch Technical Indicator he explains, "The Dow was recently trading 206 points from all-time highs while the S&P 500 was 26 points from all-time highs."

He suggests, "Looking ahead, that's where the tension rests. The U.S. markets are facing significant resistance at record highs, and are extended near-term after a massive two-day spike. That means a cooling off period is likely due before they make a legitimate run at record territory."

Regardless of any short-term pullback, he adds, "The market's recent decisive break atop the 50-day moving average is distinctly bullish. The U.S. markets also confirmed their uptrend with a 24-to-1 positive volume session last Tuesday, meaning the longer-term path of least resistance is higher."

Meanwhile, one of his favored sectors, based on their technical positions, is the oil services stocks. He explains, "The Oil Services Index remains among the strongest sectors. We have selected several names to highlight as they are well positioned technically. And, their relative strength makes them better bets longer-term."

The advisor points to Weatherford International (NYSE: WFT); Cameron International (NYSE: CAM); Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB); National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV); and FMC Technologies (NYSE: FTI).

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com features the latest stock picks and investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

MarketWatch technician eyes oil services originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV) volatility elevated as NOV at record high on oil rally.

NOV, a worldwide provider of equipment a components used in oil and gas drilling production operations, closed at record high of $136.94. WTI Crude oil futures are down 0.03% at $78.21 a barrel according to Bloomberg. NOV overall option implied volatility of 43 is above its 26-week average of 38 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price risk.

Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) volatility at 30 into third quarter business outlook.

TXN closed at $35.72. ThinkEquity says that "TXN provided an in-line mid-quarter update." ThinkEquity goes on to say, "we view this as mildly disappointing given the strong environment for PCs, consumer, and high performance analog, and investor expectations for an in-line to slightly better outlook." TXN September option implied volatility of 30 is above its 26-week average of 27 according to Track Data, suggesting slightly larger price fluctuations.

Daily options Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Option update: National Oilwell Varco (NOV) volatility & share price Up originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 Sep 2007 08:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.