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Energen Corporation’s shares reached a 52-week high of $79.73, closing the session a little lower at $78.97 on Aug 22. Energen’s strong focus on the prolific Permian Basin and other strategic growth initiatives have been fueling the firm’s performance. Notably, shares of the company surged around 56% over a year, outperforming the broader industry’s growth of 20.8%.
Let’s delve deeper to determine the factors behind its impressive run on the bourses.
Permian Advantage
Energen’s strategic acreage position in the low-cost high-return Permian Basin bodes well. The low operating cost stems from the region's extensive pipeline infrastructure, plentiful labor and supplies, and relatively warm winters that make year-round work possible. The noted pure-Permian producer has a vast portfolio of top-tier acreage in Midland and Delaware Basins. In the two sub-basins, Energen has identified 4,116 net potential drilling areas. Energen expects huge undeveloped resources in these locations, which are estimated by the firm at 2.5 billion oil-equivalent barrels.
Energen’s impressive portfolio has consistently contributed to its output levels and helped the company to deliver its fourth consecutive earnings beat in the second quarter of 2018. Total production volumes in the last reported quarter increased to 8,862 thousand barrels of oil equivalent (MBOE) from the prior-year level of 6,596 MBOE. In fact, the company’s five-year CAGR of total production was an impressive 20%.
Prudent Growth Strategies
Energen has successfully streamlined its portfolio by divesting its non-core assets over the past five years, thereby sharpening its focus and increasing drilling activities in the Permian. The stock has also been scaling upward, courtesy of its recent deal with Diamondback Energy, Inc. (FANG - Free Report) , which is set to acquire Energen for $9.2 billion in an all-stock agreement. Post the culmination of the deal, Diamondback will own 62% stake in the combined entity and Energen will hold the remaining 38%. The buyout will integrate the premier assets of both the companies, bolstering the scale and leadership position of the combined entity in the region. The deal will also enable the companies to pool their expertise in the region and share their best practices, thereby enhancing buying power in securing services in Permian.
Cost-Cut Efforts and Low Leverage are Other Positives
Energen has been focusing on strong cost-control measures. In second-quarter 2018, the company’s lease operating expenses (LOE) per barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) fell nearly 2% year over year to $6.54. The firm expects its LOE per BOE to contract through 2018. Moreover, Energen has significantly low exposure to debt, indicating balance sheet strength. This is reflected in the company’s debt-to-capitalization ratio of 18.6%, which is considerably lower than the industry’s 46.1%.
Final Thoughts
Energen’s strategic deal with Diamondback will certainly lead to significant commercial, financial and operational synergies, due to the integration of asset, systems and staff, thus boosting growth and production prospects. However, due to looming pipeline capacity constraints in the Permian region, Energen and other producers have to sell their products at a discounted rate, which may put a little pressure on the stocks in the near term.
Let Your Portfolio Experience Growth: Two Stocks to Buy
Petrobras’ 2018 earnings are expected to grow 130%.
NOW is expected to witness year-over-year growth of 211.11% in 2018 earnings.
The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All
Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.
Image: Bigstock
Energen (EGN) Shares Scale 52-Week High: What's Driving It?
Energen Corporation’s shares reached a 52-week high of $79.73, closing the session a little lower at $78.97 on Aug 22. Energen’s strong focus on the prolific Permian Basin and other strategic growth initiatives have been fueling the firm’s performance. Notably, shares of the company surged around 56% over a year, outperforming the broader industry’s growth of 20.8%.
Let’s delve deeper to determine the factors behind its impressive run on the bourses.
Permian Advantage
Energen’s strategic acreage position in the low-cost high-return Permian Basin bodes well. The low operating cost stems from the region's extensive pipeline infrastructure, plentiful labor and supplies, and relatively warm winters that make year-round work possible. The noted pure-Permian producer has a vast portfolio of top-tier acreage in Midland and Delaware Basins. In the two sub-basins, Energen has identified 4,116 net potential drilling areas. Energen expects huge undeveloped resources in these locations, which are estimated by the firm at 2.5 billion oil-equivalent barrels.
Energen’s impressive portfolio has consistently contributed to its output levels and helped the company to deliver its fourth consecutive earnings beat in the second quarter of 2018. Total production volumes in the last reported quarter increased to 8,862 thousand barrels of oil equivalent (MBOE) from the prior-year level of 6,596 MBOE. In fact, the company’s five-year CAGR of total production was an impressive 20%.
Prudent Growth Strategies
Energen has successfully streamlined its portfolio by divesting its non-core assets over the past five years, thereby sharpening its focus and increasing drilling activities in the Permian. The stock has also been scaling upward, courtesy of its recent deal with Diamondback Energy, Inc. (FANG - Free Report) , which is set to acquire Energen for $9.2 billion in an all-stock agreement. Post the culmination of the deal, Diamondback will own 62% stake in the combined entity and Energen will hold the remaining 38%. The buyout will integrate the premier assets of both the companies, bolstering the scale and leadership position of the combined entity in the region. The deal will also enable the companies to pool their expertise in the region and share their best practices, thereby enhancing buying power in securing services in Permian.
Cost-Cut Efforts and Low Leverage are Other Positives
Energen has been focusing on strong cost-control measures. In second-quarter 2018, the company’s lease operating expenses (LOE) per barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) fell nearly 2% year over year to $6.54. The firm expects its LOE per BOE to contract through 2018. Moreover, Energen has significantly low exposure to debt, indicating balance sheet strength. This is reflected in the company’s debt-to-capitalization ratio of 18.6%, which is considerably lower than the industry’s 46.1%.
Final Thoughts
Energen’s strategic deal with Diamondback will certainly lead to significant commercial, financial and operational synergies, due to the integration of asset, systems and staff, thus boosting growth and production prospects. However, due to looming pipeline capacity constraints in the Permian region, Energen and other producers have to sell their products at a discounted rate, which may put a little pressure on the stocks in the near term.
Let Your Portfolio Experience Growth: Two Stocks to Buy
While Energen is a Ranked #3 company, investors interested in the energy space may consider some better-ranked stocks like Petrobras (PBR - Free Report) and NOW Inc. (DNOW - Free Report) , each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Petrobras’ 2018 earnings are expected to grow 130%.
NOW is expected to witness year-over-year growth of 211.11% in 2018 earnings.
The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All
Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.
See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>