Oil services companies have gotten good at hydraulic fracturing, perhaps too good at it. According to Nabors Industries (NYSE: NBR ) , fracs per day have increased by 50% in the Haynesville Shale. While that may seem like great news, it could be very frustrating for oil services companies. Let's diagnose why and prescribe a potential solution that may resolve this malaise.
Early symptoms: shooting oneself in the foot
During a panel at the EIA energy conference last month, Southwestern Energy vice president Jim Tramuto�declared that we had reached what he called the second quarter of the oil and gas boom. What he means is that companies once rushed to get a well in the ground just to prevent their leases from expiring. Now that those leases have been established, these companies are now focusing on optimizing their operations to get the most out of each dollar spent.
The one thing you can give the oil and gas industry credit for is that it learns quickly. New rig technology like Nabors' PAce-X rig have allowed pad drilling methods to increase wells per rig by 34% in some of the more "mature" shale plays like the Eagle Ford, Bakken, and Marcellus. Also, the 50% gain in fracs per day mentioned above has come thanks to methods such as zipper fracs, which involves alternating pressure at two wells versus fracking one at a time.
Top 5 Beverage Stocks To Watch Right Now: Addus HomeCare Corporation(ADUS)
Addus HomeCare Corporation provides a range of social and medical services to individuals in the home. The company serves individuals with special needs who are at risk of hospitalization or institutionalization, such as the elderly, chronically ill, and disabled. It offers various health services that include personal care and assistance with activities of daily living, skilled nursing and rehabilitative therapies, and adult day care. The company?s Home and Community Services division offers assistance with bathing, grooming, dressing, personal hygiene and medication reminders, and other activities of daily living on a long-term, continuous basis, with an average duration of 20 months per consumer. Its Home Health Services division comprises physical, occupational, and speech therapy, as well as skilled nursing services, which are offered on a short-term, intermittent, or episodic basis to individuals recovering from an acute medical condition, with an average length of care of 80 days. The company?s payor clients include federal, state, and local government programs, such as Medicaid funded programs and Medicaid waiver programs; other state agencies and Medicare; and the Veterans Health Administration, commercial insurers, and private duty consumers. The company was formerly known as Addus Holding Corporation and changed its name to Addus HomeCare Corporation in September, 2006. Addus HomeCare Corporation was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Palatine, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Gerson]
Addus HomeCare (NASDAQ: ADUS) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.25 per share on revenue of $68.07 million.
magicJack VocalTec (NASDAQ: CALL) is expected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.41 per share on revenue of $35.93 million.
Top 10 Oil Service Companies To Buy Right Now: Energy Transfer Equity L.P. (ETE)
Energy Transfer Equity, L.P., through its direct and indirect investments in the limited partner and general partner interests in Energy Transfer Partners, L.P., engages in midstream, intrastate, and interstate transportation of natural gas, as well as in storage of natural gas in the United States. The company?s Intrastate Transportation and Storage segment engages in the ownership and operation of natural gas transportation pipelines and natural gas storage facilities. As of December 31, 2009, it owned and operated approximately 7,800 miles of natural gas transportation pipelines and 3 natural gas storage facilities. This segment sells natural gas to electric utilities, independent power plants, local distribution companies, industrial end-users, and other marketing companies on the Houston pipeline system. Its Interstate Transportation segment involves owns and operates interstate natural gas pipeline. It owned and operates approximately 2,700 miles of interstate natura l gas pipeline with an additional 180 miles under construction. The company?s Midstream segment engages in the ownership and operation of in service natural gas gathering pipelines, natural gas processing plants, natural gas treating facilities, and natural gas conditioning facilities. This segment owned and operated approximately 7,000 miles of in service natural gas gathering pipelines, 3 natural gas processing plants, 11 natural gas treating facilities, and 11 natural gas conditioning facilities. Its Retail Propane segment operates a retail distribution network consisting of approximately 440 customer service locations in approximately 40 states. The company was formerly known as La Grange Energy, L.P. Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. was founded in 2002 and is based in Dallas, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Energy Transfer Equity (NYSE: ETE ) reported earnings on May 8. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Energy Transfer Equity beat expectations on revenues and crushed expectations on earnings per share. - [By Robert Rapier]
This question really piqued my interest. Intuitively, I felt like it was probably true, but I didn’t want to answer the question until I could dig into it a bit more. I thought it would be interesting to have a look at the historical performance of a few publicly-traded general partners versus their limited partner to find out if that hypothesis is supported.
Consider Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP) and its general partner Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI). Over the past year, KMI did indeed outperform KMP, but if we track performance back to the IPO of KMI on Feb. 10, 2011 — KMP outperformed KMI during significant time periods. But both generally tracked each other quite closely in terms of returns.
Next consider Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE: ETP) and Energy Transfer Equity (NYSE: ETE), which owns the general partner and went public in 2006. ETE has significantly outperformed ETP since its IPO, particularly over the past four years:
But it is important to note that ETE also has interests in Sunoco Logistics Partners (NYSE: SXL) and Regency Energy Partners (NYSE: RGP).
Top 10 Oil Service Companies To Buy Right Now: EnerNOC Inc (ENOC)
EnerNOC, Inc. (EnerNOC), incorporated on June 5, 2003, is a provider of energy management applications, services and products for the smart grid, which include demand response, data-driven energy efficiency, and energy price and risk management applications, services and products. The Company�� energy management applications, services and products enable energy management strategies for commercial, institutional and industrial end-users of energy, which it refers to as its C&I customers, and its electric power grid operator and utility customers by reducing real-time demand for electricity, increasing energy efficiency and improving energy supply transparency. The Company�� energy management applications, services and products include its EnerNOC EfficiencySMART and SupplySMART applications and services, and certain wireless energy management products.
DemandSMART
The Company�� demand response capacity provides an alternative to building conventional supply-side resources, such as natural gas-fired peaking power plants, to meet periods of peak electricity demand. The Company is in the development, implementation and broader adoption of technology-enabled demand response services for the smart grid. The Company�� DemandSMART application enables us to send control signals to, and receive bi-directional communications from, an Internet-enabled network of dispersed C&I customer sites in order to initiate, monitor and complete demand response activity. The Company�� technology and operational processes have the ability to automate demand response and simplify C&I customer participation by remotely reducing electricity usage in a matter of minutes, or send curtailment instructions to its C&I customers to be manually implemented on site. The devices that it installs at its C&I customer sites transmit to us through the cellular network and Internet near real-time electrical consumption data on a 1-minute, 5-minute, 15-minute or hourly basis. The Company�� DemandSMART app! lication analyzes the data from individual sites and aggregates data for specific regions. When a demand response event occurs, its network operations center (NOC) automatically processes the notification coming from the electric power grid operator or utility. The Company�� NOC operators then begin activating procedures to curtail demand from the grid at its C&I customer sites.
The Company provides its demand response services to electric power grid operators and utilities under long-term contracts and pursuant to open market bidding programs. The Company�� long-term contracts generally have terms of 3-10 years and predetermined capacity commitment and payment levels. Within these contracts and open market programs, it offers the services to address the needs of electric power grid operators and utilities: reliability-based demand response, price-based demand response, and short-term reserve resources referred to in the electric power industry as ancillary services.
EfficiencySMART
EfficiencySMART is the Company�� data-driven energy efficiency suite that includes energy efficiency planning, audits, assessments, commissioning and retro-commissioning authority services, and a cloud-based energy analytics application used for managing energy across a C&I customer�� portfolio of sites. The cloud-based energy analytics application also includes the ability to integrate with a C&I customer�� existing energy management system, provide utility bill management and tools for measurement, tracking, analysis, reporting and management of greenhouse gas emissions. The Company offers the EfficiencySMART applications and services, which include EfficiencySMART Plan, EfficiencySMART Audit, EfficiencySMART Assessment, EfficiencySMART Commissioning and EfficiencySMART Insight.
EfficiencySMART Plan provides its C&I customers with a multi-year profile of projected energy demand, consumption and costs, including a lifecycle financial analysis of potential energy! strategi! es and a roadmap for implementation. EfficiencySMART Audit provides its C&I customers with energy efficiency recommendations in compliance with the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning (ASHRAE) standards for conditioned space, and tactical energy surveys for industrial facilities. EfficiencySMART Assessment provides detailed recommendations for energy savings, demand reductions, reductions in energy intensity through operation and maintenance activities, equipment retrofits, behavioral changes, or the use of new technologies. EfficiencySMART Commissioning includes traditional and/or new building commissioning services, such as investigation, testing and verification of energy efficiency strategies, and data analytics over a specified period of time. EfficiencySMART Insight provides its large, multi-site C&I customers with a Software-as-a-Service enterprise energy management solution that provides persistent commissioning with the ability to visualize near real-time energy usage, identify savings opportunities, and prioritize energy-related investments across a portfolio of meters and buildings across a C&I customer�� organization.
SupplySMART
SupplySMART is the Company�� energy price and risk management application that provides its C&I customers located in restructured or deregulated markets throughout the United States with the ability to more effectively manage the energy supplier selection process, including energy supply product procurement and implementation. SupplySMART provides a framework for developing and implementing risk management strategies and executing purchasing strategies that provides maximum price transparency and structural savings on an ongoing basis for its C&I customers.
Technology and Operations
The Company�� technology has been developed provides a platform on which to design, customize, and implement its energy management applications, services and products. The Company�� technology infrast! ructure i! s built on Linux, Java and Oracle, and supports open Web services architecture. The Company�� enterprise energy management application platform enables the Company to efficiently scale its DemandSMART, EfficiencySMART, and SupplySMART applications and services, as well as certain wireless energy management products, in new geographic regions and rapidly grow the number of C&I customers in its network. The Company�� energy management application platform leverages Web services and wireless technologies that connect applications directly with other applications through a form of loose coupling, which allows connections to be established across applications without customization.
Network Operations Center
The Company�� technology enables its NOC to automatically respond to signals sent by electric power grid operators and utilities to deliver demand reductions within targeted geographic regions. The Company can customize its technology to receive and interpret many types of dispatch signals sent directly from an electric power grid operator or utility customer to its NOC. Following the receipt of such a signal, its NOC automatically notifies specified C&I customer personnel of the demand response event. After relaying this notification to its C&I customers, it initiate processes that reduce their electricity consumption from the electric power grid. These processes may include dimming lights, shifting equipment to power save mode, adjusting heating and cooling set points and activating a back-up generator. Demand reduction is monitored remotely with near real-time data feeds, the results of which are displayed in its NOC through various data presentment screens.
Energy Management Platform
The Company�� energy management platform is consists of its cloud-based enterprise software platform used for DemandSMART, EfficiencySMART and SupplySMART, as well as wireless energy management products and technology, and is the underlying system that runs its ! NOC. It u! tilizes a modular Web services architecture that is designed to allow application modules to be easily integrated into the platform. The Company use its energy management platform to measure, manage, benchmark and optimize C&I customers��energy consumption and facility operations. The Company use this data to help C&I customers analyze consumption patterns, forecast demand, measure real-time performance during demand response events, continuously monitor building management equipment to optimize system operation, model rates and tariffs and create energy scorecards to benchmark similar facilities. In addition, its energy management application platform has the ability to track its C&I customers��greenhouse gas emissions by mapping their energy consumption with the fuel mix used for generation in their location, such as the proportion of coal, nuclear, natural gas, fuel oil and other sources used.
The EnerNOC Site Server
The Company designs and installs a small device, called an EnerNOC Site Server, or ESS, at each C&I customer site to collect and communicate to its platform near real-time electricity consumption data and, in certain cases, enable remote control of a C&I customer�� electricity consumption. The ESS communicates to its NOC through the C&I customer�� LAN or secure Internet connection. The ESS is an open, integrated system consisting of a central hardware device residing inside a standard electrical box. The ESS allows its C&I customers to, among other things, respond quickly and completely to instructions from us to reduce electricity consumption. The Company also supports OpenADR protocol on its most recent ESS devices, an emerging standard for automated demand response communications.
The Company competes with Comverge, Inc., Exelon Corporation, Energy Curtailment Specialists and Hess, Inc., as well as energy technology providers Lucid Design Group, Inc., Building IQ, SCIEnergy, Inc. and McKinstry Co., LLC.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Chris Hill]
Shares of EnerNoc (NASDAQ: ENOC ) and Exelon (NYSE: EXC ) lose energy in the wake of analyst downgrades. Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX ) falls after releasing the fourth season of Arrested Development. And Beazer Homes (NYSE: BZH ) benefits from rising home prices. In this installment of Investor Beat, our analysts discuss four stocks making moves.
Top 10 Oil Service Companies To Buy Right Now: Joe's Jeans Inc.(JOEZ)
Joe?s Jeans Inc. designs, produces, and sells apparel and apparel-related products worldwide. Its product line comprises women?s and men?s denim jeans, pants, shirts, sweaters, jackets, and other apparel products under the Joe?s brand. The company also offers women?s handbags and clutches, shoes, belts, and leather goods under various license agreements. In addition, it provides children?s products consisting of denim bottoms, tops, T-shirts, and jackets for infants, toddlers, girls, and boys. The company sells its products to various retailers, including department stores, specialty stores, and distributors, as well as through its retail stores; and through the Internet site, joesjeans.com/shop. As of November 30, 2011, it operated 17 outlet stores and 5 full price retail stores. The company was formerly known as Innovo Group Inc. and changed its name to Joe?s Jeans Inc. in October 2007. Joe?s Jeans Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Commerce, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James E. Brumley]
Considering Joe's Jeans Inc. (NASDAQ:JOEZ) is currently trading 22% below where it closed on Monday, it would understandably be easy to assume the company was a mess and the stock was best left avoided. Just because JOEZ is being punished for a bad quarter, however, doesn't mean the punishment fits the crime. For that matter, it's not entirely clear the stock deserves to be punished at all... making this week's big plunge a buying opportunity.
- [By Wallace Witkowski]
Joe�� Jeans Inc. (JOEZ) �shares surged 12% to $1.15 on moderate volume after the apparel maker posted a second-quarter profit when analysts were expecting a loss. The company reported earnings of 1 cent a share on revenue of $48.2 million. Analysts estimated a loss of 3 cents a share on revenue of $49 million.
- [By Peter Graham]
Somewhat upscale jeans�designer and marketer�Joe's Jeans Inc (NASDAQ: JOEZ), a potential peer of�VF Corp (NYSE: VFC) and Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE: KORS), is scheduled to report Q2 2014 earnings after the market closes on Thursday.�Aside from the Joe's Jeans Inc earnings report, it should be said that VF Corp reported Q1 2014 on April 25th (earnings beat on higher�revenues plus VFC�raised its�outlook as quarterly profit rose) and is scheduled to report Q2 2014 earnings on July 18th while Michael Kors Holdings Ltd reported Q4 2014 earnings on May 28th (shares stumbled as gross margins frayed) and will report Q1 2015 earnings on August 4th.
- [By James E. Brumley]
What do Joe's Jeans Inc. (NASDAQ:JOEZ) and NQ Mobile Inc. (NYSE:NQ) have in common? Well, nothing ... at least on the surface. JOEZ is, as the name would imply, a denim company, while NQ, as the name would vaguely suggest, a mobile internet service provider. There is one common element between the two companies right now, however, at least in my eyes ... both are likely to be at the beginning of major (read "trade-worthy") bounces.
Top 10 Oil Service Companies To Buy Right Now: Suedzucker Mannheim Ochsenfurt AG (SZU)
Suedzucker Mannheim Ochsenfurt AG is a Germany-based company engaged in the processing of agricultural raw materials. The Company is organized, along with its subsidiaries, into four segments: the Sugar segment comprises sugar production and the agricultural division; the Special Products segment includes the activities of four divisions: BENEO, which produces and sells ingredients made from natural raw materials for food products and animal feed; the Freiberger Group is a producer of chilled and frozen pizzas, frozen pasta dishes and snacks; the PortionPack Europe group specializes in portion packs, and the starch division comprises starch companies in Hungary and Romania, bio-ethanol production in Austria and Hungary, as well as starch production facilities in Austria; the CropEnergies segment includes the bio-ethanol activities of the Company in Germany, Belgium and France, and the Fruit segment comprises the fruit juice preparations and fruit juice concentrates divisions. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jonathan Morgan]
Volkswagen AG (VOW), Europe�� biggest automaker, climbed 3.7 percent as data showed European car sales increased for the first time in 19 months in April. Suedzucker AG (SZU) dropped to an eight-month low as J&E Davy Holdings Ltd. downgraded the shares.
Top 10 Oil Service Companies To Buy Right Now: MYR Group Inc.(MYRG)
MYR Group Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides electrical construction service in the continental United States. The company operates in two segments, Transmission and Distribution, and Commercial and Industrial. The Transmission and Distribution segment provides design, engineering, procurement, construction, upgrade, maintenance, and repair services. Its services include the construction and maintenance of high voltage transmission lines, substations, and lower voltage underground and overhead distribution systems; and emergency restoration services in response to hurricane, ice, or other storm related damages. This segment?s customers include investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, cooperatives, federally-owned utilities, independent power producers, independent transmission companies, industrial facility owners, and other contractors. The Commercial and Industrial segment provides electrical contracting services for commercial and industrial construction in the western United States. It offers electrical contracting services for airports, hospitals, data centers, hotels, casinos, arenas, convention centers, manufacturing plants, processing facilities, and transportation control and management systems. This segment?s customers include general contractors, commercial and industrial facility owners, local governments, and developers. MYR Group Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Damian Illia]
Finally, I always like to see one of the most important financial ratios applying to stockholders, the best measure of performance for a firm's management: the return on equity. The ratio has decreased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a signal of major weakness. Moreover, it is worse than those shown in the table like Aegion Corporation (AEGN), EnerNOC Inc. (ENOC), MYR GroupInc. (MYRG) and Pike Corporation (PIKE).
- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on MYR Group (Nasdaq: MYRG ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Top 10 Oil Service Companies To Buy Right Now: Fresh Healthy Vending International Inc (VEND)
Fresh Healthy Vending International, Inc., formerly Green 4 Media, Inc., incorporated on June 8, 2011, is an eco-marketing and advertising company. The Company focuses on designing marketing and advertising campaigns utilizing natural media. The Company offers a range of natural advertising options, including Floor, Vertical, and Field media. The Company can contour grass, crops, sand, moss, or sea shells to produce designs and marketing messages.
Floor and field media involves the use of sand, chalk, snow, and specialized cleaning to create 100% environmentally sustainable messages and advertisements. Vertical media uses walls, buildings, or bridges to act as the canvas for its ad creations.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James E. Brumley]
Given its 144% gain since the end of last year, with 7% of that move coming today, it wouldn't be tough to get excited about Fresh Healthy Vending International Inc. (OTCBB:VEND) ... excited enough to jump into a VEND position. Unfortunately, there are a bunch of tell-tale signs that today is a major (albeit short-term) top today, and we're very likely headed for a sizable correction beginning tomorrow.
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