Tag Archives: North Sea

Masterly Muirfield set to test Open challengers

The Open returns to Muirfield for the 16th time starting Thursday, with two straight weeks of sunshine having turned the famed Scottish links into a firm, fast and furious test for the best.

Drivers will seldom be seen and irons will be the weapon of choice off many tees as an elite field looks to stay out of the punishing rough and create the best angles to attack the pins at the par-71 East Lothian layout.

Graeme McDowell, the 2010 US Open champion who grew up playing on links in Northern Ireland and who will start among the favourites, compared golfing at Muirfield to playing a game of chess.

“This is certainly a game of chess this week, where you have to position your pieces and keep them in play,” he said.

“This golf course is all right there in front of you, there’s no hidden tricks to it. Good quality golf gets rewarded.

“You hit the shots, they’ll be where you expect them to be. It gives you half a chance around the greens. It’s very penal off the tee, about half a chance around the greens, gives you a chance to pitch and hit bunker shots, and doesn’t kind of unduly punish you too much.

“Nine out of ten times this golf course will reward good golf, and punish you off the tee, but give yourself opportunities up and around the greens.

“I think it’s a fair golf course which rewards great players and great golf, probably why we have so many great champions at this venue.”

A quick check down the list of past winners at Muirfield certainly confirms what McDowell says as they include Ernie Els, the last time it was played there in 2002, Nick Faldo in 1992 and 1987, Tom Watson (1980), Lee Trevino (1972), Jack Nicklaus (1966) and Gary Player (1959).

Tournament favourite Tiger Woods is eager to join that list and finally win his 15th major title, over five years after his last, which came at the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines.

The 37-year-old American knows Muirfield well and not all his memories are fond ones.

The last time it was held there in 2002, he went out in his third round just as a storm system came out of the North Sea, whipping up havoc on the course and condemning the American to a 10-over 81, to date the worst score of his professional career.

That left him with no chance of making it three majors in a row, having already won the Masters and the US Open that year, and Woods has failed to get that far along the road to the Grand Slam since then.

Still, he insists he harbours no hard feelings.

“Look at the list of past champions. The number of Hall of Famers that there are who have won here,” said Woods, who said that the elbow injury that sidelined him after last month’s US Open is no longer a problem.

“I think it just goes to show you you really have to hit the ball well. You have to …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Why Ladbrokes, Tullow Oil, and Premier Oil Should Lag the FTSE 100 Today

By Alan Oscroft, The Motley Fool

Filed under:

LONDON — The FTSE 100 has opened the week poorly, falling 0.61% to 6,490 points by 7:50 a.m. EDT after the latest figures from China saw first-quarter economic growth come in lower than expected. Amid a sell-off of commodities, the gold price fell 5% to its lowest level for two years — it’s now down 25% since its peak of September 2011.

But even with the index falling, there are companies doing worse. Here are three whose share prices are tumbling today.

Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes‘ shares have dropped 8.2% to 190 pence after the bookmaker issued a first-quarter profit warning. Full-year operating profit is now expected to come in at the bottom end of expectations after Q1 was hit by “a significant reduction in profit” from horse racing at Cheltenham and weakness in online gambling. Operating profit for the quarter dropped 13 million pounds to 37.4 million pounds.

Ladbrokes shares are now down more than 20% from a mid-March peak of 245 pence, with the previous six months’ bull run now almost completely reversed.

Tullow Oil
Shares in Tullow Oil have fallen 4.3% to 1,110 pence after the explorer delayed its Sabisa-1 well in Ethiopia, citing “hole instability issues” that require the drilling of a secondary “sidetrack” bore. Exploratory results are now due in late May. But on the upside, initial drilling did reveal hydrocarbon indications.

In other positive news, we were told that the first of the firm’s six well tests at Ngamia-1 in Kenya has demonstrated flows of 281 barrels of oil per day. Further tests should soon reveal the area’s full production potential.

Premier Oil
Premier Oil have also slipped 4.3% today, despite the firm announcing the first oil flows from its Huntingdon field in the North Sea, which commenced last Friday. Chief executive Simon Lockett said: “This marks the first of four U.K. North Sea projects from our development portfolio which will come on-stream over the next few years.”

After ramping up from an initial 30,000 bopd, the field is expected to produce 250,000 bopd to 300,000 bopd when in full flow.

Finally, reliable dividends can more than compensate for the day-to-day ups and downs of share prices. So how about a company that’s offering a 5.7% yield and could be set for some nice share-price appreciation, too? It’s the subject of our brand-new report “The Motley Fool’s Top Income Share For 2013,” which you can get completely free of charge — but it will only be available for a limited period, so click here to get your copy today.

The article Why Ladbrokes, Tullow Oil, and Premier Oil Should Lag the FTSE 100 Today originally appeared on Fool.com.


Alan Oscroft has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30

From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/15/why-ladbrokes-tullow-oil-and-premier-oil-should-la/

Why Faroe Petroleum, Mecom, and Findel Lagged the FTSE 100 Today

By Alan Oscroft, The Motley Fool

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LONDON — The FTSE 100 is made a bit of a comeback today, rising 0.43% to close at 6,277 points. Last week’s disappointing jobs news from the U.S. is weighing heavily on the index of top U.K. shares, but a spate of buying into long-term defensive shares is apparently helping to hold it up.

But there are individual shares failing to manage even a modest rise today. Here are three falling behind.

Faroe Petroleum
Faroe Petroleum fell a further 7.3% to 128 pence today after the Darwin frontier exploration well in the North Sea, in which Faroe has a 12.5% stake, was declared dry and set to be plugged and abandoned.

Drilling did uncover some gas in the Paleocene interval, but no hydrocarbons were found in the Cretaceous strata. The shares are now down 14% from a recent peak of 150 pence reached at the end of March.

Mecom
Mecom Group shares lost more than a third of their value, plunging 34.3% after the European newspaper-publisher issued a profit warning due to falling advertising revenue. Advertising from the firm’s Dutch publications during March and April is falling further after full-year figures in March showed a 28% year-on-year fall for January and February — it’s a slightly slower rate, but still in excess of 20%.

Forecasts for the year to December 2013 already suggested an 18% fall in earnings per share, though analysts will be rethinking that now. But the shares are on a forward P/E of only five before any possible downgrades, with an apparently well-covered 6% dividend penciled in. Will there be further falls, or is this a recovery prospect? It could be one for the brave.

Findel
Home-shopping and educational retailer Findel saw another 7.5% lopped off its share price this morning despite releasing a reasonable-looking pre-close trading statement. The firm, which owns the U.K.’s Kleeneze brand, told us that full-year performance should be “in line with expectations,” with net debt lower than the previous year.

Results for the year to March 29 are scheduled to be released on June 5.

Finally, reliable dividends can more than compensate for the day-to-day ups and downs of share prices. So how about a company that’s offering a 5.7% yield and could be set for some nice share-price appreciation too? It’s the subject of our brand-new report “The Motley Fool’s Top Income Share For 2013,” which you can get completely free of charge — but it will only be available for a limited period, so click here to get your copy today.

The article Why Faroe Petroleum, Mecom, and Findel Lagged the FTSE 100 Today originally appeared on Fool.com.


Alan Oscroft has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Why Premier Oil, Quindell Portfolio, and Gooch & Housego Beat the FTSE 100 Today

By Alan Oscroft, The Motley Fool

Filed under:

LONDON — The FTSE 100 started the week off on the right foot, gaining 0.43% to close at 6,277 points. There isn’t any real news behind the modest rise, which has been boosted by a mild recovery in some mining shares, but poor U.S. jobs news from last Friday is causing some pessimism.

But even if things are looking a little gloomy, there are plenty of individual companies prospering. Here are three whose shares were on the up today.

Premier Oil
Premier Oil shares picked up 6.1% today to reach 385 pence after the oil explorer announced a new discovery in the North Sea off Norway. Premier has a 30% stake in the Luno II prospect, and the 16/4-6S well in the area has hit a “potentially significant oil discovery” with a gross oil column in excess of 40 meters. Tests will now be conducted to check for flow potential.

Premier Oil shares have picked up nicely since the start of the year, with the firm reporting record full-year earnings of $252 million last month. And shareholders are in for a dividend of 5 pence per share — their first since 1997.

Quindell
A first-quarter update from Quindell Portfolio sent the firm’s shares up a further 1.9% to 13.5 pence today, topping a nice start to April for the software specialist. Quindell, which provides software and outsourcing services to a number of sectors including telecoms and insurance, told us that it has achieved more than 25 million pounds in EBITDA in the three months to March and that margins are better than expected.

The company says it is on track to meet full-year expectations, which suggests that we should see a better-than-doubling of earnings per share, putting the shares on a forward P/E of around 10. Growth bargain? Could be.

Gooch & Housego
Shares in optical-components specialist Gooch & Housego have done well over the past month, and they gained a further 3.4% to 455 pence today after a first-half trading update told us the firm’s order book now stands at 29.6 million pounds, up 19% from the start of the year.

The U.S. aerospace and defense market has been tough, but Gooch & Housego has won orders from European customers in the same industry and has strengthened its Asian presence by starting up a Japanese subsidiary and expanding in Singapore and China. Trading so far is “in line with expectations.”

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The article Why Premier Oil, …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Xcite Energy Limited Surges 12% After Claiming Bentley Field Could Hold 909 Million Barrels of Oil

By Maynard Paton, The Motley Fool

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LONDON — The shares of Xcite Energy  surged 13 pence, or 12%, to 122 pence during early London trade this morning after the oil explorer said its Bentley field might contain 909 million barrels of oil.

Xcite, which drilled its first well within the North Sea field during 2008, had last year said its Bentley operation carried oil in the region of 550 million barrels.

The company also said this morning that, on a so-called ‘P3’ basis, which includes proved, probable as well as possible reserves, the net present value of the field using a 10% discount rate may be $2.8 billion.

Xcite said the calculations were based on an initial 35-year production horizon and a peak production rate of 57,000 barrels of oil a day.

Rupert Cole, Xcite’s chief executive, said:

I am very pleased to report this significant increase in both reserves and value attributable to our assets, which supports our long-held belief in the potential of the Bentley field.

We have now moved Bentley from being a significant asset to one of the major strategic assets in the North Sea, which will be an important source of future employment and economic contribution to the U.K. for many years to come.

Cole also claimed now was the “right time” to evaluate suitable partners for developing the Bentley field further.

Last month, Xcite issued full-year results that showed sales of £13 million following the production and sale of 149,000 barrels of oil. The annual figures also showed a small accounting loss, some £128 million spent on exploration and development activities, as well as a year-end cash balance of £25 million.

Of course, whether this morning’s reserves update, the share-price reaction and the general outlook for the oil sector combine to make Xcite a buy is something only you can decide.

Indeed, you may wish to consult this free Motley Fool report, which explains the factors you need to consider — and the risks you might encounter — when evaluating oil and gas explorers.

Anyway, if Xcite is tempting you today, please click here to read the Fool’s exclusive oil and gas report before you hit the buy button.

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The article Xcite Energy Limited Surges 12% After Claiming Bentley Field Could Hold 909 Million Barrels of Oil originally appeared on Fool.com.


Maynard Paton has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Diamond Offshore Sparkles in the Deepwater

By David Lee Smith, The Motley Fool

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You know about the tremendous increases in hydrocarbons production that have been generated onshore in just the past few years in the primary U.S. oil-centric unconventional plays. I’m referring primarily to the prolific Eagle Ford of south Texas, North Dakota’s Bakken/Three Forks, and the rejuvenated Permian Basin, which essentially straddles the lower border between Texas and New Mexico.

Nevertheless, it’s likely that in the future, the biggest discoveries of black gold will occur in progressively deeper offshore waters. I’m referring to the likes of the Gulf of Mexico — which was once thought to be on the road to depletion — Brazil‘s Santos Basin, the Cuanza Basin offshore Angola, the South China Sea, and potentially the Kara Sea of the Russian Arctic.

The offshore energy opportunities
From the perspective of how to play this expanding trend, there are a number of international oil companies that might fit the bill. For instance, unless the Russians return to their devious ways, ExxonMobil will operate in the Kara and Black seas through a newly hatched joint venture with state-controlled Rosneft.

And there’s very little drilling that occurs on our planet that doesn’t involve oilfield-services leader Schlumberger in some form or fashion. But from my perspective, it makes eminently good sense to become familiar with the deepwater drillers, such as Transocean and Diamond Offshore .

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit to currently owning Transocean shares and to having served, as a wee lad, as a junior officer of a predecessor company of Diamond. So with those admissions as a backdrop, let’s take a quick gander at two of the world’s largest offshore drillers. Each has its own strengths, and, given the increasing tendency for oil and gas producers to splash around offshore, neither is likely to follow the fate of buggy-whip manufacturers during any of our lifetimes.

Transocean’s bevy of big rigs
Swiss-based Transocean is the largest of the deepwater drillers, with 82 rigs under its at least partial ownership and operation. Fully 27 of the units are classified as “ultra-deepwater,” meaning they’re capable of plying their trade in water depths of 7,500 feet or more. Another 14 are “deepwater” rigs, meaning that they typically operate between 4,500- and 7,500-foot depths. The rest of the fleet consists of harsh-environment rigs, midwater floaters, and jackups — both standard and high-specification types.

The company currently has at least five rigs working offshore Angola, Brazil, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, the North Sea, Norway, and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The last-mentioned locale leads the pack, with 15 busy Transocean rigs.

There are two issues regarding Transocean that bear monitoring by Fools thinking about investing in the company:

  • Transocean remains a defendant in a federal trial relating to the horrendous 2010 tragedy aboard its Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The New Orleans trial will probably be followed by litigation precipitated by the Gulf states, claiming damages from the oil gusher …read more

    Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

AMEC Benefits From North Sea Drilling Contract

By Sam Robson, The Motley Fool

Filed under:

LONDON — Shares in AMEC  lifted 2% in early trade, putting on 23 pence to reach 1,102 pence following the release of its interim management statement.

Trading for the year to date was confirmed as being in line with the British multinational consultancy, engineering and project management company’s previous expectations, and guidance remains unchanged from the final results issued mid-February, which saw the dividend increased by 20%.

Management stated that the order intake and forward visibility “remained good”, up to £3.7 billion compared to December 2012’s figure of £3.6 billion and equal to March 2012’s figure.

Chief executive Samir Brikho commented:

We continue to see good growth in conventional oil & gas, with new contract awards, such as the £68 million contract to deliver the hook up and commissioning services for the two new Clair Ridge platforms for BP and its co-venturers, boosting activity in the North Sea in particular.

The acquisitions made in 2012 are integrating well and the pipeline of further acquisition opportunities remains good. We remain on track to achieve our targeted EPS of greater than 100 pence ahead of 2015.

AMEC yields around 3.4% currently, with 3.7% forecast, but why not check out our new special free report if you’re after more? “The Motley Fool’s Top Income Share for 2013” could offer a 5.6% income, and might be worth 850 pence versus around 785 pence now. Simply click here to download the report now.

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The article AMEC Benefits From North Sea Drilling Contract originally appeared on Fool.com.


Sam Robson has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Shivering Britain Underlines Opportunities for Centrica and BG Group

By Tony Reading, The Motley Fool

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LONDON — It only took a few days of marginally unseasonable weather and some technical problems with the interconnector that pipes gas from the Continent to bring Britain close to energy rationing last month.

Gas stores were down to just two days supply and an LNG (liquefied natural gas) tanker was diverted here to avert the kind of rationing seen in third world countries.

It highlighted the U.K.’s poor gas storage facilities. But it should put some impetus behind the government‘s new “Gas Generation Strategy“.

Higher prices, more investment
It could be good news for investors, if not consumers. Higher gas prices and more investment into the sector should benefit both Centrica  and BG .

Though best known for its downstream British Gas business, Centrica is the largest investor in the Cygnus gas field in the North Sea, which is due to come on-stream in 2015.

Centrica claims that its involvement in upstream activities just hedges its downstream exposure to gas prices, but most observers would reckon high gas prices are good for the company.

Storage and generation
Centrica also has substantial gas storage and gas-powered electricity generation capacity, though it’s been closing down generating plant as its ageing fleet falls foul of the government‘s green agenda.

That’s where the Gas Generation Strategy comes in. It will “consider whether there is a case for measures to encourage gas storage”. Last month’s near-miss seals that question. The strategy should ensure that there are “opportunities for investors in gas generation plant”. That should help Centrica build new more efficient plants.

What might put some action into these words is the recent appointment of Michael Fallon as Energy Minister, while retaining a dual brief as Business Minster. He is expected to put more emphasis on securing low-cost energy supplies.

Coals to Newcastle
The diversion of the tanker Zarga to Milford Haven last month illustrates the global economics of LNG. Carrying enough gas from Qatar to provide six hours’ U.K. consumption, the tanker goes wherever the price is highest. The U.K. is building more LNG import terminals — and both Centrica and BG are cashing in on the global LNG market.

BG was one of the first companies to sign a long-term LNG supply deal in the U.S., where the shale gas glut has seen LNG import terminals reconfigured as export terminals. Centrica has just signed a 20-year deal with the same exporter.

BG‘s LNG business, a third of revenues, adds stability to the big bet it’s placing on its Brazilian offshore projects. It has just signed a 20-year contract to supply India with up to $20bn-worth of gas.

Gas is a sector with a healthy outlook and I have shares in both these companies. But any portfolio should be well diversified, and have a core of solid and dependable blue-chip shares that you can buy and forget about. The Motley Fool has picked the five best shares that fit this bill.

You can read all about them in this brand-new report. Just click …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Are Scotland and England Headed for Divorce Court?

By David Lee Smith, The Motley Fool

Filed under:

We may be about to enter a period of intrigue in Scotland comparable to the events that Shakespeare poured into “Macbeth”. Amid a push for increased autonomy for his country from England, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond announced recently that Scotland will conduct a referendum in 18 months seeking to abolish its three-centuries-old union with the English.

It doesn’t take an intellect comparable to that of the Bard of Avon to conclude that the proposed separation is tied to oil and gas in the North Sea. The vast majority of British hydrocarbons emanate from waters closest to Scotland. Indeed, as Austin-based geopolitical consultants at Stratfor have noted, Scotland is responsible for fully “90% of British offshore oil production and more than half its offshore natural gas production. ”

A Scottish fortune looming?
Given that balance — or lack thereof — Salmond has said that, if separated from the other United Kingdom countries, Scotland could generate in excess of 50 billion pounds (about $76 billion) within five years. He also believes that the resulting tax revenue would permit the country to establish its own sovereign wealth funds, much as Norway has been able to accomplish from its own North Sea tax receipts.

But there are those who believe that the Scottish take on its likely proceeds may be excessive. For starters, past revenues from North Sea waters have been volatile, to say the least. As the 20th century came to an end, with crude prices hunkering around $10 per barrel, the country took in about 2.5 billion pounds in production-related taxes. And then, with that same black gold commanding up to $147 per barrel in 2008, the tax yield rose to nearly $13 billion pounds.

Dangerously dipping production
Trepidations exist in a number of quarters, however, about future North Sea production volumes. Unlike such venues as the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Angola, or Iraq, output from the waters surrounding the British Isles is sliding. From 2.7 million barrels a day in 2001, production from the sector tumbled to 1.5 million daily barrels in 2010. Further, British oil output in 2011 reached a low not seen since the 1970s.

None of this is to imply that asset trading and hydrocarbon discoveries by the producers have all but ceased in the North Sea. As recently as 2010, for example, Norway‘s Statoil uncovered the John Sverdrup field — which may contain 3.3 billion barrels of oil — in its country’s sector. And Apache appears to be perpetually shopping in North Sea waters. About a decade ago, it bought BP‘s Forties field. And in 2011, it paid $1.75 billion for ExxonMobil‘s North Sea assets, including the sizable Beryl field.

Both Apache acquisitions are in waters that would almost certainly be accorded to Scotland in the event of a separation from England. In November, Royal Dutch Shell boosted its stake in …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

BP and Royal Dutch Shell Among £330 Million North Sea Consortium

By Sam Robson, The Motley Fool

Filed under:

LONDON — Over £330 million is to be invested by the likes of BP  and Royal Dutch Shell  in a drilling program focusing on a “monster” oil field to the west of Shetland.

The consortium — which also includes ConocoPhillips and Chevron — announced that drilling has already begun on the first of five wells planned over the next two years in the field at Clair. A further seven wells may be drilled if the appraisal program is successful.

With the giant North Sea field of Clair known to hold 8 billion barrels of oil, a third phase could take production beyond 2050 for the BP-led consortium, as BP North Sea regional president Trevor Garlick commented: “This is a major milestone and a further big commitment to the west of Shetland by BP and its co-venturers. If successful, the appraisal program could pave the way for a third phase of development at Clair — this is now a real possibility.”

The news comes as the U.K. government reveals a new strategy to aid the oil and gas exploration industry, to be unveiled by U.K. Business Secretary Vince Cable in Aberdeen — the “oil capital of Europe” — who stated:

“I want us to consider what barriers are stopping British companies bidding for and winning work in the North Sea. This is an expanding industry. We can either help create more jobs and opportunities across the U.K. if we get this right, or see work going overseas if not.”

With around 400,000 people employed in oil and gas, the government hopes that further investment in the sector will help develop the U.K.’s supply chain, with new tax breaks announced over the last few years helping to repair the damage from huge rises in 2011.

If you are keen to learn more about potential winners in the small-cap exploration sector, the Motley Fool has published this free report to help you find them.

How to Unearth Great Oil and Gas Shares” shows you how to evaluate an explorer’s prospects and what to double-check before investing. The Fool’s report also highlights an area of the oil and gas sector that could expand rapidly in the years to come.

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The article BP and Royal Dutch Shell Among £330 Million North Sea Consortium originally appeared on Fool.com.


Sam Robson has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

BP Launches $8 billion Share Buy-Back Scheme

By Sam Robson, The Motley Fool

Filed under:

LONDON — BP  this morning announced its intention to carry out a share repurchase program with a value of up to $8 billion, or £5.3 billion — a bigger cash return than had been previously expected.

Yesterday, the oil Goliath completed the sale of its 50% stake in TNK-BP to Russian state oil company Rosneft for $12.5 billion, which now becomes the world’s largest listed oil producer.

BP‘s original investment in 2003 saw around $8 billion in cash, shares and assets go into the formation of TNK-BP, and today’s news backs its promise to return that money to shareholders. The remaining proceeds from the sale will be ploughed into the company in order to reduce its debt.

Chief executive Bob Dudley commented: 

BP is moving on to the next phase of its business in Russia, becoming the largest private shareholder in Rosneft, Russia‘s leading oil company. In the process we have also released cash, equivalent to at least six years of BP‘s anticipated future dividends from TNK-BP. We look forward now to working closely with Rosneft and together developing opportunities to create value for both companies.

Buy-back schemes are often undertaken with the intention to increase the value of shares, and BP‘s have seen a 12 pence, or 2.7%, increase in early trade to reach 461.45 pence.

The move follows further disposals by BP, such as the sale of its 50% non-operated stake in the Sean gas field in the North Sea to SSE, intended to help cash flow and maintain its ability to pay dividends. Indeed, during the first nine months of 2012, BP raised $5 billion from disposals, and currently yields 5%.

If you are seeking other high-dividend possibilities, this exclusive free report could assist your investment decisions. The report, newly updated for 2013, reveals the favorite income stocks held by Neil Woodford — the City fund manager who has thrashed the FTSE 100 by favoring dividend-paying blue chips.

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The article BP Launches $8 billion Share Buy-Back Scheme originally appeared on Fool.com.


Sam Robson has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Are Shorts Trying Too Hard to Hate This Energy Company?

By Matt DiLallo, The Motley Fool

Filed under:

There’s no way to sugarcoat things for investors of Endeavor International . Despite a small price bump over the past few weeks, the company has recently fallen to a market capitalization of just $150 million. In the past year, shares have plunged from a 52-week high of $13.23 to its recent price of around $3. Ouch. Among the company’s many problems is its heavy debt load of more than $800 million. This has investors scared and some savvy investors see the debt load sinking the shares even further and have sold more than 29% of the company’s shares short.

Why it’s hated
While the debt is a concern, it’s just one of Endeavor’s current storms. Another is that 29% of current production is weighted toward North American natural gas, where profits are being held back by low natural gas prices. Among its oil plays, it’s has 90,500 net acres in the Heath shale of Montana. Haven’t heard of the Heath shale? It was supposed to be the next Bakken, only better because it’s shallower. At one time, EOG Resources called the Heath shale the “king of oil plays.” Unfortunately, it hasn’t proved to be very commercially viable as its best wells are just producing limited amounts of oil per day.

Oh, and speaking of storms, one just recently damaged the company’s East Rochelle well and halted operations. With a list this long, no wonder shorts hate this stock. Endeavor appears to be in serious trouble. Or is it?

Why it should be loved
The company has accomplished a lot in the past couple of years. At the end of 2011, it announced the acquisition of ConocoPhillips‘ interest in three producing U.K. oil fields in the North Sea for $330 million. Together with the rest of its U.K. assets, Endeavor will see growing cash flow from these oil projects. In fact, has been able to sell its U.K. oil production forward in order to raise cash. Even better, this oil is priced at Brent-based crude prices, which trade at a significant premium to the U.S. benchmark WTI.

Because of the strength of these assets, it was able to extend its looming credit facility due date until the middle of 2014. With that near-term credit overhang now past, the company can focus on its operations.

Finally, the company’s board is in the midst of a strategic review, which could result in the company unlocking the significant value of its assets. Among the options are a sale or joint venture of its U.K. assets or a sale of other non-core assets. It is also possible that the whole company is put up for sale, though more value would likely be found through asset sales because of its depressed share price.

My Foolish take
While I can understand why shorts fear Endeavor’s debt, there’s enough positive catalysts to be found at its U.K. assets for shorts to be worried. Further, the strategic review could result …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

How the Coming Economic Recovery Will Boost Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays

By Tony Reading, The Motley Fool

Filed under:

LONDON — Shares in the U.K.-focused high-street banks, Lloyds Banking Royal Bank of Scotland   and Barclays  , were hit this week following the EU bail-out of Cyprus and the accompanying raid on savers’ deposits.

It’s a salutary reminder how vulnerable U.K. banks are to mishaps in the eurozone. But while markets shudder, it’s worth thinking about the long-term trajectory for bank shares.

Governor spies recovery
The Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, said last week that he thought an economic recovery would ‘come into sight’ during 2013. That’s no reason to open a bottle of champagne, but it’s a reminder that the economy is heading upwards, not downwards.

The Governor pointed out that GDP statistics were distorted by problems in North Sea oil construction and production. If it hadn’t been for those, the U.K.’s economy would have grown by 1.5% last year.

Banks are highly sensitive to the economies in which they operate, and share prices generally anticipate future developments. So the banks’ shares should start to reflect expectations of a strengthening economy.

Bad debts
Economic growth translates into a healthier corporate sector, which is more credit-worthy and borrows more.

A healthier economy reduces the incidence of bad debts, alleviating concerns that banks might need to raise more capital. Only recently, shareholder-consultants PIRC calculated that if the old-style U.K. GAAP accounting rules still applied, RBS would need to make an additional 9.4 billion pounds of provisions for bad debts. The hit at Barclays and Lloyds would be 7.3 billion pounds and 2.5 billion pounds respectively.

Investment
Finally, economic growth should feed through into the personal sector.

It looks as if RBS shares the Governor’s optimistic view. It’s going to invest 700 million pounds over the next three years to revamp its U.K. bank branches. Meanwhile, Barclays has identified U.K. mortgages, wealth management and Barclaycard as business areas to invest in. You never know, competition might hot up between the lenders.

With Lloyds and RBS on the path to privatization and Barclays reinvigorated with a new management and strategy, the trio’s shares should react quickly to signs of economic recovery. But the impact of Cyprus‘s bail-out shows they remain vulnerable to the eurozone crisis.

If you already own banks but are looking for a growth story with a lower risk profile, I suggest you look at this company. It hasn’t made a capital call on its shareholders for more than 70 years, and has increased or held its dividend every year since at least 1988.

Its earnings per share have risen by 44% since 2009, and there could be considerable value that isn’t reflected in the share price. That’s why it’s “The Motley Fool‘s Top Growth Stock for 2013.”

You can learn more by downloading a free report from the Motley Fool — just click here.

The article How the Coming Economic Recovery Will Boost Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays originally appeared on Fool.com.

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

The Top 3 Oil and Gas Stocks This Week

By Dan Dzombak, The Motley Fool

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Oil prices were on the move this week after a pipeline shutdown in the North Sea. At the oil market‘s close on Tuesday, Brent crude was up 1.1% to $111.61 and WTI crude was up 0.3% to $90.86. Later in the evening, it was announced that Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez had died. Venezuela is OPEC‘s fourth largest member in terms of production, but it’s unclear how Chavez’s death will affect the oil market. U.S. natural gas, meanwhile, remains stuck in the doldrums, down 0.3% this week to $3.53.

The top oil and gas stocks this week
1. This week’s leader is Endeavour International , up 58% this week to $3.97. Endeavour has had a self-inflicted rough year and an even rougher month. Last summer, with the stock around $12, Endeavour announced a dilutive share offering and took on additional debt to purchase oilfield assets from ConocoPhillips in the North Sea. The stock dropped from a high of $12.82 to the share offering price of $7.50 and slowly continued falling.

On Feb. 14 at a price of $5, the company announced that a storm the previous week had damaged its well at East Rochelle and that it was halting operations there. At the same time, the company announced that it was hiring investment bank Tudor, Pickering, & Holt to pursue strategic alternatives. The stock immediately plummeted. You know it’s bad when the brokerage that did the most recent stock offering downgrades the stock from “buy” to “neutral,” which Global Hunter Securities did on Feb. 20.

Endeavour hit a low of $2.36 last week. The stock has since come back a bit, but with a large debt load, a $115 million credit facility due in October, and a damaged well, things don’t look good for Endeavour. I’d pass on this one.

2. Second this week is InterOil , up 14% to $77.68. Interoil is the developer of the massive Elk and Antelope natural gas fields in Papua New Guinea and has an LNG export facility to go along with it. In November, the government of Papua New Guinea announced that it would take a 50% stake in each of the oil fields, which should derisk the project somewhat. The company has been searching for partners to build its facilities and set a firm deadline of Feb. 28 for proposals. If the company can find a partner, and if the company can get its facilities built, there are huge opportunities to export natural gas to Asia. That’s a lot of “ifs” for everything to work out, and short sellers have taken notice, with 12 million shares are currently sold short, or roughly 25% of the float. Investors should be careful.

3. And in third place this week is RigNet , up 10% to $21.55. If you’ve never heard of RigNet, you aren’t alone. The company had its IPO in 2010 and is a provider of remote communications services to the oil rig …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

What's Next for BP?

By Prabhat Sakya, The Motley Fool

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LONDON — A year ago, I wrote the article “A Year of Shocks for BP.” A year later, it has been a year of recovery for BP  .

The company has been busy paying off the liabilities after the Deepwater Horizon accident. Let’s not mince our words: This oil spill had a devastating effect on the company, causing the share price to crash, but since the accident BP has been working very hard to come back from this.

Recovering from the oil spill
I see a couple of phases to BP‘s recovery. First, it has to sell off non-core assets and pay off all the costs associated with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Sorting this out has been its first priority.

The company has made good progress in this, although the oil spill has been hugely expensive for the business. Although the company has travelled far down this road, there is further to go.

Once the current trial in New Orleans is over, BP may finally be able to draw this tumultuous chapter in its history to a close.

Then seeking out growth
Then there is the second phase to the British oil group’s recovery: seeking out growth for the future. The difficulty that BP faces, along with other independent oil companies such as Shell and Exxon-Mobil, is a world of steadily decreasing oil reserves.

The world’s oil may not yet be running out, but what remains of the world’s oil is getting ever more difficult and more expensive to extract. The simple question that every oil major faces is: how can it replace its oil reserves cost effectively? It’s not an easy task.

The added complication is that much of the remaining global oil reserves are held by governments, not independent oil companies. That’s why, while BP has been trying hard to squeeze every drop of oil from places such as the North Sea and the Gulf of the Mexico, it has also been grappling with the great bear to the East.

Grappling with the great bear
BP‘s tussles with Russia have been well documented. A few years ago, BP chief executive Bob Dudley was chased out of Russia in a battle with the Russian partners in the joint venture TNK-BP.

But Dudley has worked tirelessly to repair relations with Russia, and recently it has been paying off. Russian prime minister Dimitri Medvedev has asked Dudley to sit on the board of Russia‘s national oil company Rosneft.

BP is finalizing a multibillion pound merger with Rosneft whereby the Russian company will take over BP‘s holding in TNK-BP, while in return BP will gain a 20% stake in Rosneft. I see this as a good deal for the British oil major.

BP‘s recovery is well under way. Overall, I see BP as a decent buy.

BP‘s low P/E ratio and high and rising dividend yield could make it a worthy addition to your income portfolio. We at the Fool are firm believers that high-yield shares should be at the core of …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

North Sea oil platform leak sparks evacuation

The TAQA oil company says dozens of workers have been evacuated from a North Sea oil platform after a hydrocarbon leak was detected.

The Abu Dhabi-based company says 71 of the 145 workers on the Cormorant Alpha platform were taken off the rig off the northeast coast of Scotland on Saturday. The company says in a statement that no hydrocarbons spilled.

The company says the leak in one of the platform legs was discovered during maintenance. The platform and all pipeline infrastructure were shut down as a precaution.

The installation is situated about 95 miles (150 kilometers) northeast of Lerwick on Shetland Island.

The incident marks the second time this year that the platform had to be partially evacuated following the discovery of a leak.

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Offshore 2013: Gulf of Mexico vs. North Sea

By Taylor Muckerman and Joel South, The Motley Fool

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It appears that deepwater markets in the Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea are just beginning their production ascents. Recent reports hint at record spending growth in the North Sea, and fundamentals in the Gulf of Mexico have eclipsed their pre-Macondo levels. It appears energy bulls better learn to swim because these are the new frontiers. In order to capitalize on this spending while eliminating some of the risk incurred by the exploration and production companies, the drillers that Motley Fool energy analysts Taylor Muckerman and Joel South discuss below could be great ways to invest in this potential earnings tidal wave.

One of the Motley Fool’s top picks in the offshore arena is Seadrill
If you’re an energy investor looking for exciting opportunities, then you should look into one of the more intriguing plays in the space: Seadrill. To learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of this company, as well as what to expect from Seadrill going forward, be sure to check out this brand-new premium report put together by one of our top Stock Advisor analysts. Click here to get started.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

World Oil Hits Supply Constraints; North Sea Production Nears Historic Low

By Kenneth Rapoza, Contributor

Anyone in the northeast filling up their house with heating oil knows, oil prices are going higher. What investors know is that crude oil markets have had quite the week, with Brent oil futures settling above the $118 per barrel on most days.  With the United States being a net importer of oil, of course, that European Brent crude price is more important that West Texas Intermediate, which is now trading at $96 a barrel. ven though macroeconomic sentiment weakened slightly on the back of poor fourth quarter GDP numbers in Europe, oil continues to get price support from a solid underlying demand-supply equation and ongoing geopolitical elements in the middle east. In this context, last week saw yet another failure in talks between the International Atomic Energy Agency and the government of Iran. No date has been set for future talks and the failure in a negotiated agreement comes just two weeks before more meetings, this time between Iran and the so-called P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, U.K. and the U.S.). That in mind, Barclays Capital told clients in a note on Feb. 15 that supply constraints would serve as strong support for oil prices in the weeks ahead. The full set of supply figures for North Sea oil (Brent basis) for 2012 was released by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate and these show the country’s production averaging 1.91 million barrels daily of oil and oil equivalents over the year. That figure stands at historic lows and 13% below the country’s own production expectations for the year. Over 2012, output was negatively affected by a multiplicity of technical problems at a variety of fields, including Hog, Oseberg, Vigdis and Troll. Preliminary data for January show total output at 1.85 mb/d, lower on the year by an impressive 255 thousand b/d, though 1% higher than the Directorate’s forecast production for the month. Then there are the ongoing outages in Brazil, Syria and Sudan in non-OPEC nations. As a result, Barclays’ tally of non-OPEC supply disruptions now stands at 875 thousand barrels daily, about 256 thousand less barrels of oil less than the previous month. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest