Volatility in the oil and gas markets continues, with prices plunging yet again in the recent chaos surrounding Greece’s default negotiations and other global political uncertainties. But a rebound is inevitable, and Mackie Research’s Bill Newman has his eye on companies that have managed to grow, step by step, even in hard times. In this interview with The Energy Report, Newman identifies companies with individual stories that will, in the end, defy the trend.
The Energy Report: With the collapse of the crude oil price and the timing of a recovery difficult to predict, the energy sector has fallen out of favor with investors. In the current oil and gas investment climate, are there any stocks that are immune to the negative sentiment and can still perform?
Bill Newman: We had low commodities prices over the past two years, which have really hit the junior oil and gas sector hard, alongside the corresponding valuations and share prices of many small-cap energy companies—but this is where the opportunity exists for investors today. The companies that have survived are generally underleveraged and it’s been incredible how efficient they’ve become in driving down drilling and completion costs. These companies have been able to really improve the well economics and are generating strong returns even at lower commodity prices. With a stronger and more stable oil price outlook expected in 2017, activity is starting to pick up and investors should be once again looking at those juniors that have survived the last two years, as they are positioned for healthy returns as the energy market firms back up and gets back to business.
TER: So which small-cap energy companies do you like right now?
BN: Domestically, we like companies that are applying horizontal drilling and multi-stage frac technology to unlock the Mannville oil and gas trend …read more